Book review: Women of Pride by Lakshmi Vishwanathan

The first time I heard the word Devadasi was about 22 years ago, when as part of my job, I was assigned to accompany a few people visiting the Devadasi rehabilitation program by an NGO in Saundathi in Belgaum. The town is known for its historic Yellamma temple, also known as Renuka temple, where girls are dedicated to Goddess Yellamma in an elaborate ceremony once a year, and become Devadasis, also called Jogatis. What I learned about the Devadasis in this visit was from the NGO reps, and they painted a picture of abject poverty, prostitution, exploitation, and disease. Unfortunately, what I remember most is their matted hair, which was the first thing the NGO helped get rid of when they convinced a Devadasi to get out of that system.

I had visited the Yellamma temple, and the homes of several ex, as well as practicing devadasis, in remote villages in that district. The poverty cannot be denied, and for a long time now that is what has been driving the parents to dedicate their young daughters to the Goddess. When the girls attain puberty, they are immediately claimed by men who pay small amounts of money, which enables the parents to eke out a living. Many many of them eventually make their way to cities like Bombay and become one among the thousands in the red-light district. Basically, it has turned into a religion-sanctioned prostitution racket.

That visit stayed with me for a very long time. I was intrigued by the Devadasis, their history, and their lives, and wanted to know more, but life took over. When I saw a review of ‘Women of Pride’, I had to pick it up.

What I found was that the Devadasi tradition of Saundathi was nowhere close to what was depicted in this book. But it was a fascinating read, nevertheless. Where did the term Devadasi come from, what does it mean, who were these women, what did they do? There are so many myths debunked in this book. The Devadasi heritage is one of empowerment, not exploitation. The women were married to the Deity, and played important roles in temples, as well as in kings’ courts. They were educated, cultured, independent, powerful, and held in a high regard in society. How progressive the society was then!

The book not only traces the history of the Devadasis but elaborates on what caused their downfall too. When the British came, they brought with them colonial prejudices and prudishness, and began taking control of temples. Undermining and ultimately destroying Indian culture in order to divide and rule became their utmost priority. The Devadasis were branded with the label of immorality, their children were labelled illegitimate, their assets including the lands that were given to their ancestors by kings were seized and they were left to languish in poverty. In the end, because of their various laws, the Devadasi system came to be regarded as a social evil that needed to be abolished from society.

The stories of all the famous Devadasis mentioned in the book gives us a glimpse of our rich culture and heritage. It tells us how Bharatanatyam as a classical dance form evolved over centuries and came to be what it is today.

This book was an eye-opener of sorts for me, but has left me slightly unsatisfied too. I now want to read more on the subject, especially the Devadasi culture of Saundathi. Any recommendations are welcome!