devadasi system is an inhuman practice.why?
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
In South India, a devadasi is a girl "dedicated" to worship and service of a deity or a temple for the rest of her life. The dedication takes place in a Pottukattu ceremony which is similar in some ways to marriage. In addition to taking care of the temple and performing rituals, these women also learned and practiced classical Indian artistic traditions like Bharatanatyam and Odissi dances. They had a high social status, as dance and music were an essential part of temple worship.
After becoming Devadasis, these young women would spend their time learning religious rites, rituals and dance. They had children by high officials or priests who were also taught their skills of music or dance. Eminent personalities that have hailed from this community are Bharat Ratna recipient M S Subbalakshmi and Padma Vibhushan recipient Balasaraswathi.
During British rule, in the Indian subcontinent, kings who were the patrons of temples and temple arts lost their power. As a result, Devadasi were left without their traditional means of support and patronage. During colonial times, reformists worked towards outlawing the Devadasi tradition. Colonial views on Devadasi are hotly disputed by several groups and organizations in India and by western academics. The British were unable to distinguish the Devadasi from girls who danced in the streets for reasons other than spiritual devotion to the deity. This led to socio-economic deprivation and adoption of folk arts.[1][2][3][4]
Recently, the Devadasi system has started to disappear, having been outlawed in all of India in 1988.[5]
Answer:
Devadasi system generally meant that the girl’s life is dedicated in serving and worshipping the deity she believes for rest of her life. There is a ceremony where the girl is dressed up like a bride and is similar to that of wedding rituals namely the pottukkatu. These women were not only responsible for performing temple rituals but were also good classical dance performers. This tradition was then continued by their children. Some famous personalities who hailed from Devadasi tradition were M.S Subhalakshmi, carnatic musician who was also a Bharat Ratna recipient. Bala Saraswathi, a Padma bhushan recipient who was an eminent Bharathanatyam dance exponent. Hence Devadasi system can be considered inhuman because the girl is supposed leave behind all her worldly happiness to become a Devadasi.