Abstract
Abstract The devadasi community of south India are originators of a popular dance form called bharatanatyam. This paper explores several dimensions of this community including legal and social angles. A misjudged and misunderstood community, the modern-day devadasi’s circumstances can be described as fraught with social disabilities ranging from a lack of economic opportunities and the resultant poverty to an increased propensity for delinquency. The paper presents an unbiased view of the history of the devadasi system that attempts to use a varied range of sources so as to paint a clear narrative. The paper proposes a mechanism to move forward through truth commissions as a form of restorative justice that is likely to help both policymakers as well as artists.
Highlights
When asked about the origins of the popular Indian dance form ‘bharatanatyam’, many who teach the dance form answered with a confident smile on their face, saying that it evolved from a dance which used to be practised by a community of women known as ‘devadasis’
The vast majority of academic papers on the devadasi community in India clarify that the modern devadasi and the supposedly ‘traditional’ practices within the modern devadasi system are very different from the devadasis and their system during earlier times when the Indian subcontinent was untouched by Muslim rule.[1]
The traditional devadasis’ position as respected members of society underwent a change due to certain watershed moments in history. These are explained in a later section that is preceded by a brief account of the various sources of evidence of the devadasi system and their dance form, and an analysis of accounts of their economic standing in society and their reliance on royal patronage
Summary
When asked about the origins of the popular Indian dance form ‘bharatanatyam’, many who teach the dance form answered with a confident smile on their face, saying that it evolved from a dance which used to be practised by a community of women known as ‘devadasis’. She is one who, as shall be explained in the subsequent sections of this paper, was able to thrive in society with dignified liberty by dedicating herself to the practice of a traditional dance form known as sadir. The first part of this paper contains an account of the history of the traditional devadasi system and its evolution through the times It elaborates on sadir, which was the most important aspect of the devadasis’ identity. It examines the available pieces of evidence to infer facts about the society surrounding the devadasis as well as the devadasi’s dance form, and her economic standing in society. While the personal experiences of the devadasis and other stakeholders in the expression of social communications are indispensable, by looking at the devadasi system from a number of angles, the authors seek to provide a real understanding of the evolution and structure of the system itself
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