EXPLORING THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE DALITS IN BASAVAS

Registration ID: IJNRD_208410

Published ID: IJNRD2311105

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Vanapally Vijaya lakshmi

Patriarchy, Discrimination, Divine Prostitution

The system of votive offerings of girls to the deities in Brahmanic temples is more prevalent in South India than in North India. This system was called the Devadasi system. The Chola, Chera, and Pandya Kings built huge temples for their gods. They felt constructing huge temples would provide shelter to the people during floods, cyclones, or any other natural disasters. Hence, it was appointed to girls to maintain these temples. The main function of these girls is to sing, entertain people, and take care of deities. These girls were called ‘Devadasi’ which means female slaves of God, and they are known by different names in different areas. For instance, they are called Mahari’s in Kerala, Natis in Assam, and Thevaradiyar in Tamil Nadu. Muralis in Maharastra, Basavis in Karnataka, Bhavanis in Goa, Kudikar on the West Coast, Bhogam or Jogin in Andhra Pradesh (1 Patra), and Mahari in Orissa This system reached climax in 12th century. They enjoyed high esteem as they were closed confident of the god. They were experts in music and dance. As years passed their services shifted from god to earthly gods (King) , Priests and lords. They are forced to do service not only to the deities but also to the lords and rich devotees of the deities. In short, they started living the life of Prostitute with religious sanction and customary backing. The Caste system that showed imbalances and discrimination against lower caste sowed the seeds of the system into economically, politically, and socially disadvantaged lower caste Dalits and one such system is Jogatis or Basavis in Karnataka which is associated with women of leather community. An attempt is made through this paper to study the Basavis cult under the matrix of Caste and Patriarchy. This cult characterized a system whereby women of lower caste are kept subordinate to men of higher caste in several ways. The vested interest of upper caste for gaining accessibility to desire of women of lower caste to satisfy their extra marital sexual needs led to evolution of this custom. Over period this practice has represented in clear violation of Human Rights with these women who initially perform sexual favours to upper caste and later become public property through this divine institution of Prostitution. This paper also analyses major reasons for the establishment of the cult, important rituals practiced by them, impact of the cult on SC Women and reasons why this system is still prevalent today and measures taken by government to curb the cult. Governmental steps taken to eradicate and help the basavis. Keywords: Patriarchy, Discrimination, Divine Prostitution Introduction: The town of Basavas, like many regions in India, bears a deep historical and cultural heritage intertwined with the troubling issue of violence against the Dalit community. The term "Dalit" refers to those who have been historically marginalized, discriminated against, and subjected to violence due to their caste, often relegated to the lowest rungs of the Indian social hierarchy. This study endeavors to delve into the historical roots and cultural underpinnings of violence against Dalits in Basavas, shedding light on a persistent and deeply ingrained social issue.

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Vanapally Vijaya lakshmi (November-2023). EXPLORING THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE DALITS IN BASAVAS. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, 8(11), b38-b47. https://ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2311105.pdf

Volume 8 Issue 11, November-2023

Pages : b38-b47

Paper Reg. ID: IJNRD_208410

Published Paper Id: IJNRD2311105

Downloads: 000122255

Research Area: Social Science and Humanities 

Author Type: Indian Author

Country: Hanamkonda, Telangana, India

Published Paper PDF: https://ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2311105.pdf

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