Recasting The Devadasi- Patterns of Sacred Prostitution in Colonial South India

This work is about the patterns of sacred prostitution in south India, during the colonial period, with special focus on the Kannada and the Telugu speaking regions. An attempt has been made to locate various manifestations of this custom in a culturally pluralistic context. The Kannada speaking regions that come under the purview of the study are the Mysore State and the erstwhile Maratha Country that today comprise of the northern districts of Karnataka. The Telugu speaking regions under study are the Hyderabad state and the Telugu speaking regions of the erstwhile Madras presidency. These regions were specifically chosen as they shared a history of origin and development of this tradition. So also, what makes these regions distinct from other parts of the country is that, the multiple patterns manifested predominantly in these regions, providing ample scope for hypothetical as well as theoretical deductions.

The book seeks to explore certain hitherto unexamined issues in a historical and holistic perspective. In seeking to do so, a need to conjure the evolution and development of the custom of sacred prostitution was felt, which, other wise is not the prime concern of a student of modern history. The imperative need for this was felt as the developments in the colonial period had to be situated on an appropriate premise.

This study is prone to inconsistencies, given the scope and framework within which the issue has been analyzed. Given the widespread prevalence of the custom, a number of lacunae are likely to emerge in deconstructing the monolithic identity of the sacred prostitute. However, treading a historically unchartered past, it only seeks to explore some of the most conspicuous yet neglected dimensions of the custom. This attempt only calls for more work in the area where much continues to be unexplored and misunderstood.