Donors, Devotees, and Daughters of God

Download or read book Donors, Devotees, and Daughters of God written by Leslie C. Orr and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2000-03-09 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the use of epigraphical evidence, Leslie C. Orr brings into focus the activities and identities of the temple women (devadasis) of medieval South India. This book shows how temple women's initiative and economic autonomy involved them in medieval temple politics and allowed them to establish themselves in roles with particular social and religious meanings. This study suggests new ways of understanding the character of the temple woman and, more generally, of the roles of women in Indian religion and society.