DEVADASI

(Sanskrit: Handmaiden of the God), caste of women connected originally with great temples in southern India, where they dedicated themselves to the service of each temple's patron god. The caste appears to date from the 9th and 10th centuries, the great period of temple building in South India. The women attended the godfanned the icon, honoured it with lights, and sang and danced for the god's amusement. They played an important part in preserving the cultural heritage. Their sons and daughters had equal rights of inheritance, an unusual practice among Hindu castes. Until the 20th century they were quite visible; in about 1800 the main temple of Kanchipuram (Conjeeveram) had 100 Devadasis. As their occupation also involved temple prostitution, they came to be held in low social regard, and the casteand its occupationshas begun to disappear.