Introduction Dedicated to the divine in a marriage that will not cease in widowhood , few have the fortune of such religious esteem. Sold like commodities, bought into prostitution, and branded with a name that provokes both societal disgust and piety, few have the misfortune of wearing the sacred beads of the Devadasi. Once held in great esteem, the Devadasi are a predominantly female community of persons dedicated to a deity, and are involved in temple rituals, especially