23, September 2026

Caste, Gender, and Poverty: An Intersectional Analysis of Devadasi/Jogini Identity in Telangana and Karnataka

VOLUME-10; ISSUE-9; SEPT-2026

Author(s): PATARLAPATI NAGARAJU

Authors Affiliations:

PATARLAPATI NAGARAJU

Research Scholar(SRF),Osmania University, Telangana, India

 

DOIs:10.2017/IJRCS/202609006     |     Paper ID: IJRCS202609006


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The Devadasi system, known regionally as Jogini in Telangana and northern Andhra Pradesh and retained under its older name in Karnataka, has continued in parts of South India despite more than seven decades of legislative prohibition. This article applies an intersectional analysis, arguing that caste, gender, and poverty operate together rather than as separate causes. Drawing on government survey data, Supreme Court directions, state legislation, and recent policy developments in Karnataka (2025-26) and Telangana, the article traces how the dedication of girls, overwhelmingly from Scheduled Caste communities such as Madiga, Madar, and Holeya, to temple deities intersects with caste status, sexual exploitation, and restricted economic options for the women concerned and their descendants. The article closes by examining existing rehabilitation frameworks and Karnataka's 2025 Devadasi (Prevention, Prohibition, Relief and Rehabilitation) Act as a test case for survivor-centred, intergenerational rehabilitation.

Devadasi, Jogini, intersectionality, caste, Dalit women, Telangana, Karnataka, ritual sexual exploitation

PATARLAPATI NAGARAJU (2026); Caste, Gender, and Poverty: An Intersectional Analysis of Devadasi/Jogini Identity in Telangana and Karnataka, International Journal of Research Culture Society,    ISSN(O): 2456-6683,  Volume – 10,   Issue –  9,  Available on – https://ijrcs.org/

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