Nuns Of The Temples Poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar

Devadasiis a female servant
Wedded to a deity or a temple.
Devadasi system has taken its root
Before 800 and lasted till 1900 AD.

The fall of the Buddhism and the rise
Of the Priest class in the form of Brahmins
Paved the way for the birth of Devadasis,
Who were captive nuns of the Buddhism.

Buddhist nuns turned servants to Hindu gods,
And were degraded later as dancers and singers,
To further go lower to take calls as harlots
To the temple priest and the princely class.

Devadsis had been the sole custodians
Of dance and music of the regional languages,
To the entertainment of the elite
With no stigma to the girls amiability.

The greatest dancers, singers and musicians
Have come from the stock of Devadasis,
And have been treated with high dignity
By the society and the kingdom as well.

M.S. Subbulakshmi,M.L.Vasanthakumari,
T. Balasaraswathi, Dharmambal,
Rajarathnam, Latha Mangeskar et all
Have their lineage to this community.

Bharathanatyam in Tamilnadu,
A monopoly of Tamil Brahmins,
Was Dasi Dance propagated as Sathir
By Tamil Devadsis over centuries.

Tamil owes to the Devadasilineage
Its growth in arts, dance, singing and music.
Devadsis might have questionable
Characters but not the caste they came from.

The whole community is not assigned
To prostitution but only those women
Who had been initiated to the temples
By their parents, were in slippery paths.

Devadasi system during eighth century,
When Andal lived, was not put in low esteem.
Artisans having lineage to Devadasi
Even now are not looked down at for their caste.

Not sinners but sinned against are Devadasis

01.02.2018