The eldest daughter of every family of the weaver caste, at the small town of Tiru-kalli kundram in the Chingleput collectorate of the Madras Presidency, is devoted to the temple. She is sent to the pagoda before the age of puberty, -where dancing and music masters are provided. The Murli girls of the Mahratta country correspond t,o tho Basava of the -Teling race. The Basava women are usually devoted to the god Siva, and become prostitutes. They are called the Linga or Gartulu Basava according as they are devoted to one or other deiiy. They are called also Jogin, and they arc married sometimes to a dagger, sometimes to an idol. In making female children over to the service of a temple, a girl, generally an infant, is taken and dedicated for life to tho service of some idol by a ceremony called Shej. A khanjar or dagger is put on tho ground, and the girl who is to undergo the eere nony puts a garland on the knife. Her mother ,hen puts rice on tho girl's forehead. The officiat ng Bilutt then weds the girl to the dagger, just ts if he were uniting her to a boy in marriage, by Teiting the Mangalaaalok, or marriage stanzas, a mrtain being held between the girl and the dagger. rho girl thus becomes a Bliavin, dedicated to the service of the temple. In niany parts of the south )f •India, tho non-Aryan races thus devote their young women, in order that they may follow pro stitution openly, under tho cloak of a religious rite. It is not easy to traco tho origin of thin mstom; but at the Mylitta festivals, which were mnnected with the worship of Baal or Moloch, the women, as slaves to the goddess, were obliged to purchase exemption from being sacrificed by pros titution. Almost all the Jewish prophets down to Jeremiah complain that this service was carried NI in the high places by the Jews. In general, throughout the Dekhan southwards to Cape Comorin, devoting a female child to the gods for the purpose of being common, as a Murli, Basava, Bhavin, or Jogin, ia deemed disreputable. But the Deva-dasa or temple servants are in a recog nised office, and aro obtained from IIindu races whose custom it has been for ages; or by Ifindus vowing, in sickness or other affliction, to give one of their daughtera to some particular temple, and the vow is scrupulously kept at the proper time ; or by adoption. In the selection of girls for adoption in this profession, good-looking, well-made girls aro chosen, and they are taught to dance at the early ngo of five. Older girls, when they adopt the profession, aro also taught to dance. The lessons in dancing are given daily, two hours before day light in the morning, one of which is devoted to singing and the other to dancing. In the evening, after 4 P.m. , the same number of hours are devoted, so that each girl has to practise for four hours daily, and in about three years she supposed to have mastered the arts of singing and dancing. In Southern India there are reckoned six chief kinds of dancings-1. Audogirathoo ; 2. An:mecum ; 3. Lenchenee nateum ; 4. Moodeiydoo cirathoo ; 5. Herea.coothoo ; 6. Colu auteum. And the art of dancing, or Abimayam, is said to be exhibited in six different ways durmg these performances,-1. By the movements of the eyes, and 2. action of the features, and 3. attitude of the breast and chest, and 4. position of the bands, and 6. action of the feet, and 6. by calisthenic performances. By com mencing their studies at the early age of five, these girls are able to make their appearance at about seven or eight years of age, very rarely earlier than that, and they continuo dancing till thirty or forty years of age. When attached to pagodas, they receive certain sums as wages, the amount of which is dependent on the wealth, sanctity, and popularity of the particultu. temple which they have joined. The money salary they receive is nominal, seldom exceeding a few annas, and some times a rupee or two a month. The chief object in being paid this sum as a salary, is to indicate that they are servants of tlie temple ; in addition to this, one or more of them receive a meal a day, consisting merely of..a innas of boiled rice rolled into a ball. They are required to dance six times a day at the temple before the deity, while the priests are officiating, but this duty is performed by turns. Dancing girls attached to pagodas are generally wealthy, and when they appear before the public are.well covered with the usual gold ornaments ; if poor, tinsel is used, or golden ones are borrowed from others. Their heads, ears, nose, neck, arms, wrists, fingers, ankles, and toes are overdecked with jewels, and their hair frequently has flowers. The hair is divided in front along the centre, combed back, and plaited into a single plait, falling loose on the back like a tail, ave raging from two to two and a half feet in length, and always ornamented with jewels and flowers. Their dancing dress comprises usually the short bodice or choli, a pair of ravake or string drawers tied at the waist, termed paijama or pavadai (both these are generally of silk), and a white or coloured muslin wrapper or saree. One end of the saree is wound round the waist, and two, three, or more feet, according to the length, is gathered and tucked into the portion encircling the waist, and permitting of a folding fringe or gathering of the cloth in front ; while the other end, taken after the usual native fashion over the left shoulder, falLs towards the waist, where the end or munthani is opened out and allowed to drop in front, one end of it being tucked into the waist on the side and the other left free. This portion of the saree is usually highly ornamented with golden thread, tinsel, etc. The free end descends to the middle or lower part of the thighs ; the other free end of the saree banging down towards the legs is now caught hold of, passed between the legs, and fastened to the tie around the waist at the back, and the whole encircled by a gold or silver waist belt. By this mode of dress a fold of the muslin saree forms a loop round each leg, and descends nearly down to the ankles, whilst the gathering hangs in the front between the legs free. At home they wear the choli and saree, with a petticoat or pavadai ; this, in fact, is their usual dress, except when about performing they exchange the pavadai for the paijaina or sharai. The pavadai is made of chintz or silk, according to the means of the individual. A string of small brass bells, known by the name of shullungay or jedjuni, is tied around each leg immediately beneath the ankles.
The dancing girl caste have peculiar laws for adoption and inheritance. A dancing girl can adopt a daughter, with the permission of the authorities of the pagoda to which she belongs ; but she cannot adopt a son for the transmission of property, it being immaterial whether she have a son or not. The adopt,ed girl cannot share her mother's property during her lifetime ; and although she may be the heiress, she isnot bound by the laws of caste to support her brother's widow. Among dancing girls property descends in the female line first, and then to males as in other castes. In the failure of issue, the property of a dancing girl goes to the pagoda to which she belongs. A simple recognition on the part of a dancing girl of a child as her daughter, in the presence of one or more indi viduals, is sufficient to constitute her clahn to adoption.
Dancing girls are respected by the several castes or sects of Hindus, and are allowed to sit in the assembly of the most respectabl2 men, such honour not being accorded to theL. own wives
and daughters. As a rule, it is seldom that these women have children of their own, unless, perhaps, they had lived in continual concubinage with some single individual ; consequently they are always anxious to adopt girls, not only to become their successors in the' temple, but that they may in herit their property likewise. Formerly a large trade was carried on by kidnapping good-looking girls from large towns and remote villages, who were sold to these women. Famines in Ganjam, Orissa, and Bengal were taken advantage of, not only by abandoned characters, but also by immoral native princes, for the basest purposes. During a criminal session in Calcutta, two women were sentenced to seven years' imprisonment each, for having purchased a girl under sixteen years of age, for one rupee ten annas. In some places there are said to exist two kinds of dancing girls,—the dancing women differing from the pagoda dancers. The latter are said to live in concubinage as a rule. They are a privileged class under the Aylali Santanam, or descent by the daughter's children, or in the female line, and the law of Dhya applies to them ; Dbiya Baga, or division by favour, Illerasi heritage of right to official emoluments, operates as an inducenient. These classes are recognised as Dasi and Deva Dasi. The Dasi dancing women belong for the most part to itine rant bands, and are frequently made up of women of low caste, who practise their professional ac complishments and prefer living in concubinage. The Siva temple of the Soournamookie (Kalastry), a zamindari in the North Arcot district, maintains a large establishment of what is termed Deva Dasi or pagoda dancers, forming a distinct community there (Audapapalu), who live exclusively in con cubinage. Their sons, who know no father, pass by the appellation of Nagari Kumarada, or sons of the country, and are slaves to the zamindar. Of the daughters, after supplying the vacancies in the pagoda staff, the remainder are brought in the list of drudges of the palace. The dancing-master or teacher receives from fifty to five hundred rupees, with other presents, for teaching a girl the usual dances. This generally forms a contract which is greatly dependent on the wealth and position of the parties.
Dancing girls, when performing, are accom panied by two men singers, termed Nuthuvan and Padowen, who, while singing, also play the cym bals ; these instruments are of two kinds and sizes. While the cymbal is played with the right hand, the left hand, open, is generally applied to the left ear while they sing, bowing their bodies forward as well as from side to side, contorting their faces in like manner, and making grimaces. In singing they scream as loud as their voice and lungs will admit ; one or more old women join in the song, and frequently clap their hands during the per formance ; they are generally dancing girls who have given up the profession from age or other causes. Some of the girls are very good-looking, handsome, with open countenances, large sparkling eyes, regular features, and intelligent pleasing appearance. They are perfectly self-possessed in inanner, verging on assurance, staring at one with their large, intelligent-looking eyes. Notwith standing, they possess a vast deal of courtesy and polish, tempered with languid grace and serene self-possession, whilst their manners are courteous and their bearing unembarrassed, possessing all the teaching which experience of the worst side of human nature gives, and they know but one form of pleasure, the degrasling. manner in which their lives aro spent, The majority possess some natural gifts. As to conversational powers, they seldotn possess any beyond the usual laugh and giggle, and monosyllabic replies given to common place questions. Some of the Telugu. girls are very handsome, of a light pale colour, somewhat yellowish in tinge, with softness of face and fea ture, a gentleness of manner, with a peculiar grace and case, which ono would little expect to find among them. A ladylike manner, modesty and gentleness, such beautiful small hands and little taper fingers, tho ankles so neatly turned, as to meet the admiration of the greatest connoisseur. They can generally read and write their own lan guage, and pretty correctly—some two languages. One girl at Conjeveram wrote three ; the third WaS English, in which she wrote her name in a fair round hand, and spoke tho language with some fluency ; Tamil and Telugu were the other two languages, which she wrote tolerably well. She was said to have received ber education in a mission school at Madras, but did not appear ashamed of her profession. She was doubtless a girl who had been devoted to the temple in her infancy. A similar ease of a mission-taught girl occurred in Mysore about 1870. Their songs generally comprise praises in honour of their several idols, tilled with repetitions and unmean ing expletives. These songs are often vulgar and lewd, and sung before assemblies of men, and before the deities, but they time the quality of their songs to suit the place ancl audience before which they have to appear. Nautches aro given on all occasions of marriage ceremonies, feasts, and other public occasions. Among rajas, zarnindars, and others, they are almost things of daily occurrence. A few of these girls can play tho native guitar or violin tolerably well, and some of their songs have a mournful and melan choly tune ; the harsh grating of the songs of the attendants, and the rattling of the wind instru ments and tom-toms, are, however, disliked by European ears, thongh they charm the natives. When their services are demanded outside the temple, larger sums of money have to be paid for them, the charge being increased according to the renown and position of the girl, as some few will not give their services to any one unless a raja or some person of rank. Some travel to other districts when their services are needed by petty rajas or zamindars, and they aro contracted for art many dayaas they have to perform, in addition to being well paid. Th ey frequently receive valuable presents, in money, shawls, gold bangles or rings, which are bestowed on them during the performance. livery village of importance bas a temple with a few of these women attached to it, and in some of the largo towns, possessing temples of repute for sanctity, these are filled with them. It is perhaps one of the worst institutions connected with Hindu ism, from the recognition and support it receives from all classes of idol-worshipping devotees, the women being the victims of such a system, recog nised and patronised in every part of India where Hinduism predominates. These poor creatures being taught to read and write their own and other languages, with a view to be better able to master the lewd immoral songs ; whilst their own wives, the 'pothers of their children, are deprived of learn ing of any kind, and aro carefully shut out from society, not even allowed to appear in public before any aasembly of men, and are allowed, further, to grow up in the greatest ignorance and superstition. To some extent female education and enlightenment are now penetrating the masses, and the natives themselves aro seeking enlighten ment and intelligence, from which their own mothers, wives, and daughters luive hitherto been secluded.—Dr. Short:, the Anthropological &clay of London Journ. 18G7-68.