Source: India West
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, December 1, 2001: The dedication of girls to temples in India is the topic of “Maya,” a new film from director Dijvijay Singh. The film’s release was hailed for its unsparing depiction of India’s little-understood devadasi tradition. The film centers around twelve-year-old Maya (Nitya Shetty) who lives with her middle class family. The day that Maya reaches puberty, her childhood comes to an abrupt end as relatives start planning for the biggest event of the young girl’s life: a feast and ceremony to dedicate her to the Goddess Yellamma. The films producer, Dileep Singh Rathode, stated that the subject matter is never made titillating, nor is it glossed over. “Reports from nongovernmental organizations state that until recently, as many as 15,000 girls were believed to be dedicated as devadasis in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Karnataka.” Although this practice has been banned by the Indian government, the devadasi tradition persists, primarily among the dalit or “outcaste” community.