The Rashtrakutas and their Times c20.131

c20.131

The origin of this regrettable custom is to be traced to the desire to provide for good music at the time of divine worship and popular festivals. The precise time of its origin is still obscure. It is not mentioned by the Greek historians. The Arthaśāstra, book II, chapter 27, which gives a detailed account of prostitutes, is unaware of their connection with temples. The temple dancing girl does not figure in the Jatakas and is not mentioned by the Chinese travellers. We may, therefore, presume that the custom was not very common till about the 6th century A.D. But at about this time the custom seems to have arisen, for it is referred to in *Matsya-purāṇa* and *Padma-purāṇa*, *Sr̥ṣṭi-khaṇḍa*. The 70th chapter of the former and the 23rd chapter of the latter contain a discourse on the duties of harlots; 16,000 widowed wives of Kṛṣṇa, when ravished by the Abhiras and thus reduced to the sad plight of prostitutes (*veśyās*), enquire from Dālbhya about their duties. The latter informs them that they should stay in palaces and temples.⁹⁹ It is, therefore, clear that the custom had already come into existence when the Puranas were being remodelled sometimes during or after the Gupta age. It is not to be, however, supposed that the custom did not evoke any opposition from the higher sections of the society. Alberuni's statement, that the Brahmanas would have abolished this custom if kings had not stood in their way¹⁰⁰ is confirmed by a contemporary inscription from Rajputana. Sadadi inscription of Jojaladeva, belonging to the 11th century,¹⁰¹ records a decree of that king regarding the fairs at local temples. It goes on to observe:—‘On the occasion of the fair of a particular temple the dancing girls of all other temples in the city must attend, properly attired, and participate in the music. Our descendants should see to it that this arrangement continues in the future. If at the time of fairs an ascetic or *vadaharaka* (?) or a learned (*Brahmana*) seeks to interfere with this procedure, he should be forthwith stopped. The concluding sentence of this quotation makes it quite clear that the learned men and ascetics of the age had, as Alberuni has stated, realised that the association of dancing girls with temples was abnoxious and were making efforts to abolish it. The richer classes of the society, however, championed the new custom and their support made it permanent. It would appear that girls were often purchased for being dedicated to the temples.