India's Devadasi System
An older Devadasi woman shouts out as a sign of her devotion to the goddess Yellamma as she enters the Yellamma temple during the Yellamma Jatre (fesival) in Saundatti, India. The Devadasi tradition, of which she is a product, involves the "marrying" of young girls from impoverished families to the goddess Yellamma during the full moon festival to appease the goddess. Once they are married to Yellamma, they are regarded as servants to the goddess and must perfrom temple duties as well as satisfy the sexual needs of the priests and other men. They may no longer marry a mortal and often end up being sold by unscrupulous priests to pimps who take them to work in the red-light districts of India's urban areas. This woman still wears the red and white beaded necklace indicating that she is Devadasi even though she may no longer work as a prostitute.
