- Sruti Lodha*

Much thought needs to be given to the constantly changing conceptions of ‘morality’ and ‘purity’. Who defines these terms? How do we judge an act to be moral or immoral? How do we identify a person as chaste or unchaste? These are some of the pertinent questions that arise while analyzing the phenomenon of ‘colonial hangover’ that erupted in the 19th century and continues to be an intrinsic part of our daily lives.

The irony lies in the fact that though we give so much importance to culture and history, complacence sets in when it is turn to safeguard that culture, thus allowing it to be subdued and engulfed by western ideals and moral codes. The main focus of this article is the Devadasi tradition that has said to mark its beginnings with the decline of the Gupta Empire and its disappearance with the establishment of the British Raj.

The Devadasis were women who had been offered to the temple as young girls. They were extremely skilled in the classical arts of dance and music, many of whose renditions have come to become so popular today- Bharatnatyam is a modified form of the Sadir dance form of the Devadasis. This tradition has had a long history and it was only in the 19th century that this institution came under attack. The courtesans were women who had enjoyed considerable amount of respect and freedom by virtue of their being reputed performing artistes and as well as because of their spiritual efficacy. Their status was considered better than married women both socially and economically. This tradition did involve sexual relations with men of the upper caste, and those that the family of the devadasi women chose but it regarded this intimate relation as a means of attaining higher spirituality as the men saw themselves being drawn closer to the gods the devadasis were associated with. Simply attributing sexual connotations and regarding it as a malignant tradition may hold them guilty for looking at only half the picture. The term ‘akhand saubhagyawati’ (the fortunate goddess who will die before her husband) used to refer to them reflects the pride of a Devadasi. Veena Oldenburg seconds this prestigious position and talks of the independence and agency possessed by these women. However for the British the image of the Devadasi was in direct conflict with that of the chaste, monogamous, virtuous Aryan woman. They refused to eke out a separate position for the Devadasi, terming them as nothing else but prostitutes. The British failed or we could say, deliberately refused to understand the exalted position that the Devadasi enjoyed in the pre-colonial era. The Christian missionaries finding no parallel of this practice in Europe came to associate it with prostitution.

Thus the traditions and rich heritage that India had once been so proud of was gradually being eaten into. Many Indians even partook in the ‘civilizing activity’ of the British. The theory of oriental despotism was effectively put into play by constantly reiterating the notions of India being backward, stagnant and morally corrupt and the image of the imperial rulers determined to save it from these evils. The impact of modernization was such that majority of the ‘Indian westernized elite’ took part in the anti-devadasi legislation. So influenced by western notions of morality they feared the projection of Hinduism as a sensual and promiscuous religion, as a result of the existence of such institutions. Thus instead of a ‘cultural synthesis’, the unfortunate outcome was that of a superimposition of British cultural ideas on a subordinate Indian society.

The Devadasis in their attempt to sustain their practices as solely being in the name of religion and service failed to keep up with the reforms pitted against them. The solidifying concepts of appropriate female behaviour and the strengthening clutches of patriarchy were contributors as well in the loss of one of India’s oldest traditions.

These developments of the 19th and 20th century bring forth important propositions. Why is it that the sexual relations shared between the devadasis and the upper-class men overshadowed their greater role in society? And the larger question being, that in our need to emulate western traditions and techniques, are we forgetting our identity as Indians? Will we be able to undo the indoctrination of western principles and norms?

References:

1.  Erica Wald, ‘Defining Prostitution and Redefining Women’s Roles: The Colonial State and Society in Early 19th Century India’. DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2009.00647.x

2.  Belkin, Erica Caren, "Creating Groups Outside the Caste System: The Devadasis and Hijras of India" (2008). Honors Theses - All. Paper 170. http://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/etd_hon_theses/170

3.  Kalpana Kannabiran. “Judiciary, Social Reform and Debate on 'Religious Prostitution' in Colonial India.” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 30, No. 43 (Oct. 28, 1995), pp. WS59-WS69. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4403368

4.  Sudhanshu Bhandari. “Prostitution in Colonial India”. Mainstream, Vol XLVIII, No 26, June 19, 2010

* Sruti Lodha is currently pursuing B.A. (Hons) in History from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. She was an intern at Lokniti in the month of June 2015.