In one of the cases that came up for adjudication before the Madras High Court on the issue of succession, the facts of the case was that the plaintiff/appellant claimed to be the wife of the deceased ...

India-based Milaap today announced its 2014 goal to raise $100,000 in loans for these women – Devadasis – via “The Hope Project,” a crowdfunding initiative that will help women to become self-reliant ...

The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is ...

The Devadasi system in the Karnataka region, which traces its origins to the close of eighth century, underwent a massive transformation through centuries. The system which flourished in Mysore ...

Born into conditions of extreme poverty in India's southern state of Karnataka, Ningavva Kanal took a huge decision that completely changed the course of her life. Kanal — the youngest in a family of ...

The woman sat in a deserted corner of a crooked alley, next to a ditch that carried kitchen waste from people’s homes. She wore a torn green saree. Her breasts were bared, her skin sagged and her eyes ...

In a significant move, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed the Karnataka government to hold a comprehensive survey of Devadasis in Karnataka to ascertain their exact number in the ...

The stairway opened up into a cramped room, which also lay in darkness. A woman loudly asked for something, but no one responded to her. Achintya asked us to sit inside. As our eyes adjusted to the ...

Huvakka Bhimappa, along with other former ‘devadasis’ women who were dedicated by their families to the Hindu Goddess Yellamma Devi, cleanse themselves in a pond ...

Dedicated to an Indian goddess as a child, Huvakka Bhimappa's years of sexual servitude began when her uncle took her virginity, raping her in exchange for a saree and some jewelry. Bhimappa was not ...