Tamil Nadu is no stranger to public discourses on culture, traditions, customs and societal norms. On some occasions, the discourses did not lead to any substantive outcome other than creating controversies. On some other occasions, they succeeded in addressing the problem effectively. One such success story pertains to the abolition of the Devadasi system (the system of dedication of girls to temples). Muthulakshmi Reddy (1886-1968) is rightly given the credit for this, as she had relentlessly carried on the campaign amid opposition from certain sections of society including influential political leaders.
By the time Muthulakshmi Reddy began her campaign against the system in June 1927, she had some firsts to her credit - the Indian woman medical graduate in the Madras presidency in 1912; the woman member of the Legislative Council in 1926 and the woman Deputy President of the Council a year later. The trigger for her to launch the campaign was a letter movingly written by 13-year-old Shanpakvalli before ending her life. The girl had wanted, in the words of Muthulakshmi as published in The Hindu on June 22, 1927, “to escape the horrors and misery of a prostitute’s life.” Born in a family of Devadasis, Shanpakvalli had earlier resisted her grandmother’s attempts for the “dedication ceremony” of hers. The letter was published by Tamil Nadu, a Tamil weekly, for which a prominent Congress leader, P. Varadarajulu Naidu, was the Editor.
According to ‘Muthulakshmi Reddy: path-breaking woman in social reform and medicine’ authored by V.R. Devika in 2022, two women had influenced Muthulakshmi in her battle against the pernicious practice. They were her mother, Coviloor Chandrammal and Muvalur Ramamirthammal. Belonging to the community of Devadasis, both revolted against the system. Several other developments in Tamil Nadu and other parts of south India including repeated appeals of the Madras Hindu Social Reform Association had only strengthened Muthulakshmi’s resolve. As early as April 1909, the government of the Mysuru princely state had prohibited Devadasis from every kind of service that they had been providing at temples.
