A historical practice in South India where young girls were dedicated to temples as servants of deities, often forced into exploitative situations.
From Sanskrit 'deva' (god) + 'dasi' (servant or slave), literally meaning 'servant of the god.' The practice dates back centuries in Hindu temple traditions.
The devadasi system is a dark chapter in temple history—girls dedicated with religious ceremony often faced exploitation, which is why modern India has actively worked to end this practice and protect vulnerable children from misuse of religious tradition.
Devadasi were women dedicated to temples in South India, historically coerced into sexual servitude under religious auspice. Colonial and post-colonial documentation records systematic exploitation justified by temple tradition.
Refer to devadasi as victims of a coercive system rather than willing participants; center their agency and resistance movements. Use only in historical/educational contexts acknowledging institutional abuse.
["temple-indentured women","devadasi survivors"]
Devadasi women organized resistance and abolition movements in the 20th century; their activism reshaped Indian social reform despite silencing in mainstream histories.
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