Married to God- the Jogin System in India

Abstract

This paper uses the material from a Project of the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, which we undertook in 1991-92, related to the study, rehabilitation and organizing of Jogins in Andhra Pradesh in India. As researchers, we faced a lot of dilemma while making the research design and evolving a methodology for the study. Jogins are the modern form of the traditional Devadasi system, which existed in India from the 10th century. Dedicated to the temple to carry out various temple-related duties, these girls were married to an immortal God, and since they could never become widows, they were regarded as auspicious ones. Centuries later, by the time India was colonized, all these girls were practicing prostitution. The system was finally abolished in 1947 by law. In spite of this, a large number of women and girls, especially from the lower castes, continue to be dedicated to God in different regions of southern India, especially in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. These girls become the keep of the village headman through whom they have a number of children. Since the whole system is institutionalized under the wraps and cover of religion, the exploitive aspect of the institution is often missed. As most of these women are from marginalized sections of society and are also employed as wage labourers and live below the poverty line, they are merely seen as labourers. Their main identity gets subsumed under this category, but here too they are invisible and are marginalized and often missed by policy makers and researchers. This paper documents the experiences of these marginalised and often forgotten women.