Prostitutes of God

Prostitutes of God

6.96
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Ratings: 6.96/10 from 49 users.

Prostitutes of GodIn Prostitutes of God, VICE travels deep into the remote villages and towns of Southern India to uncover an ancient system of religious sex slavery dating back to the 6th century.

Although the practice was made illegal more than 20 years ago, we discover there are still more than 23,000 women in the state of Karnataka selling their bodies in the name of the mysterious Hindu Goddess Yellamma.

They are known as Devadasis, or servants of God. From city red light districts to rural mud huts, we meet proud brothel madams, HIV positive teenage prostitutes, and gay men in saris.

Our intimate exploration into the life of the Devadasi reveals a pseudo-religious system that exploits poverty-stricken families to fuel modern India’s booming sex trade.

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Linden Frank
Linden Frank
1 year ago

what a horrible horrific life...JESUS weeps and wept

p,k
p,k
5 years ago

it' was not prostitution,,,girls played the same roles...as NUN's playing in churches....don't fools persons in the name of religion...

Ify
Ify
8 years ago

I want vice to go to Benin City, Nigeria. This same practice goes on where girls are dedicated to the Olukun goddess who is believed to be a prostitute herself. Each deficated girl has a pot and a waist band.

Muralidharan
Muralidharan
10 years ago

Devadasi system prostitution has nothing to do with religion though the name of religion is used. This documentary is not fit to be among the documentary films relating to religion.

Jerry
Jerry
10 years ago

In the documentary, Sarah Harris travels to the Indian city of Sangli to interview women whom are prostitutes in the name of their Hindu Goddess Yellemma. In this documentary, we see that most prostitutes that are interviewed live in communities and are actually financially well off. The documentary then unravels and teaches of the religious practice of Devadasi and how it became a prostitution practice. In addition, Harris goes to the annual full moon festival in Saundatti, where viewers get a glimpse of child sex trafficking. The festival is supposed to celebrate the initiation of a Devadasi devotee, however, the age average of Devadasi initiatives are decreasing. The documentary concludes with the ultimate problems that this Devadasi/prostitution system causes, such as AIDS and forced sex labor. I felt that this documentary helped gives a solid understanding to the historical background of the Devadasi and a justifiable modern context of the religion.

Guest2
Guest2
10 years ago

Vice makes interesting documentaries, for me this is one of those I would say, despite not watching most of it

Guest2
Guest2
10 years ago

I couldn't watch this one, looking at two underage kids, so lovely, speaking about thr lives and knowing they are used for sex by adults, is too
much for me. But then I've been sitting at my pc for far too long
soaking up way too much of the world's issues for my health, way too
late at night. Lost control.. I'm an information junky, and a pc-aholic, and I'm glad I don't own a tv aswell.

Yaervalavan
Yaervalavan
10 years ago

First of all, a documentary of good quality can be felt with no exaggeration. I'm from southern part of India. It is true that this practice was a part of Hindu tradition but it is abolished to great extent. The modern Hinduism do not support it in any manner and such superstitions are forced on people belongs to lower(considered) caste. To take privilege of these people, such system were built by the so called high caste priests.

mishap
mishap
11 years ago

They'll never know the possibilities of the girls if they don't go to school. Many fine doctors, scientist, etc are being lost.

mycial
mycial
11 years ago

Thank you, for this documentary if a country doesn't have a functioning society in terms of business, corporations or education this will become reality. Hopefully, Americans will try to defend their country at all cost because if we don't we may be forced to sell our boys & girls just for bread on the table.

Jin Vorion
Jin Vorion
11 years ago

I am not here to argue or discuss about God.. The above Video is all about a small village in Karnataka, India.. not only karnataka, even another 1 or 2 states. 23000 is way to exaggerated number. Few hundreds fit appropriately. Con-men and women in all the countries, irrespective of the religions. What you are seeing in that video is brain-washed people/followers of some con-men. In India, this is not a legal practice. Devadasis existed many centuries before as legal form of prostitution. That also to protect and balance the immoral acts and the culture of the people. If you look deep into our culture, you can find why these devadasis were existed. Prostitution is illegal in India, not just since 20 years, its beyond that. This is Nothing to do with Goddess Yellamma or Renuka. They are using the God's name for their profession to get validity. I DON'T BELIEVE IN THESE GODS OR CON-MEN.. I dispute their existence. I wont believe in these Gods, if I dont feel them.. Until, I don't waste my time on these Godly claims. But I am a supporter of Culture. I am from India, precisely southern part of India.

Raj
Raj
11 years ago

not true......i think the documentary maker should not blame other religion. if u understand hindu, please try to analyse this was badly used by some cruel people or rich people to target the poor and disadvantaged and uneducated people. dont blame our religion. please.

Guest
Guest
11 years ago

I was about to watch this when I click play and I see a caucasian woman not from india narrating this.. No thanks! Why do they use their priveledge to did dirt about anothers culture but their own. Go film your own country.. So annoying!

Daflodeo
Daflodeo
11 years ago

Many Westerners hold Eastern philosophical wisdom in high esteem and here is a culture that has been in practice long enough to have found perfection as a society but instead you find abject poverty and a caste system together creates a justification to use these poor females. It is apparent that the first casualty of Eastern philosophy and wisdom is truth.

Drdocwilmot
Drdocwilmot
11 years ago

Y was standing next to 'so what' when Mr 'who cares' walked in

shayyan Ahmed
shayyan Ahmed
11 years ago

An example of virtuelessness

shayyan Ahmed
shayyan Ahmed
11 years ago

This is stupid

Heather Cooper
Heather Cooper
11 years ago

This makes me angry

Heather Cooper
Heather Cooper
11 years ago

I had no idea this sort of thing was revered in India, I learned something new today

eyecandy_babydoll
eyecandy_babydoll
11 years ago

That was disturbing, how could they pimp out their own daughters!? It gave me the creeps and made me want to cry for the little girls who have no choice in all this. My youngest sister is their age, I can't even begin to imagine selling your family off to pedophiles for a few bucks. Why doesn't the mothers of these girls prostitute themselves? Surely as a mother, if someone in the family had to suffer to provide, you'd do it instead of your 12 year old child!!! Even collecting garbage, cleaning sewers and cleaning homes are preferable to being a devadasis.

And the real culprits are the men who continue to drive demand for devadasis! I hate it say it but as long as there are horny men with a few rupees, there will be devadasis. Shame on you sickos who prey on poor children!

Carlos Cisneros
Carlos Cisneros
11 years ago

Absolutely disgusting

Vijay Shinde
Vijay Shinde
11 years ago

This is ancient religion and we proud on our religion and culture. Garve se kao hum Hindu hain.

Donald Edward Goodman
Donald Edward Goodman
11 years ago

All I can say is WHY do they ignore a dog that is obviously IN PAIN....Yet they worship rats and cows? I just don't understand. Of course, "hookers" are looked down on in the US. Even though the highest paid people in the world are mostly a bunch of damn pedophile's! That force sex on children. Sicko fks!

AbdelZ
AbdelZ
11 years ago

Unbelievably disgusting , horrific .

What a disgusting country is India really .

They call it an economic giant : an economic giant with the feet body & soul in that horrific dirt .

I have always been amazed at the fact that many orientalists used to praise the indian religions, philosophies ...when we do consider that outragoeus cast system ....all that hokus pokus ....

God....

madscirat
madscirat
11 years ago

West hordes most of the world's resources. Sees people living in huts turn to prostitution. Wags finger condescendingly.

Don't worry, devadasi, free market will fix you.

AbdelZ
AbdelZ
11 years ago

This video cannot be downloaded , amazingly enough : i tried to do just that many times with no result .

How come , folks ?

I do have the best download manager though : internet download manager .

I cannot download just this video only here .

billy
billy
12 years ago

u wont dig that sh*t when u get hiv from a teenage prostitute.. that sex slave stuff is lame and shows how religion still controls people everywhere 4 what? lies and betrayals and so some perv can get his rocks off .. people need to have a higher moral standard and think more about how they affect other people..

911_was_an_Inside_Job
911_was_an_Inside_Job
12 years ago

Devdasi's have been always subjected to Sex-Slavery whether in Ancient India or Today. Their status was not as bad as it is now but the role has never change. They were and still subjected to brutality of our society towards women which is not only the sotry of India alone but entire world.

Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins
12 years ago

Whores for God? That's a religion I can dig, man...

Elizabeth InKashiwa
Elizabeth InKashiwa
12 years ago

The devadasis of today bear no resemblance to the devadasis of the past. This is a degraded, and degrading, practice. Missionaries condemned the temple practice of patrons supporting devadasis, resulting in the slip down the economic and social ladder. India needs to revive its temples, support women with education, training, and restoration of cultural properties, and out of prostitution.

SilentEnigma
SilentEnigma
12 years ago

this has nothing to do with Hinduism.... this is a cultural practice not religious... Nowhere in Hinduism this practice is advocated

Missy Ruth
Missy Ruth
12 years ago

The girl who did this "documentary" could hardly contain her frigid, puritanical disgust at a very complex complex system that allows the Indian people of certain castes a way to feed their families. It was very clear that some of them choose this lifestyle - they sell their bodies as is their right to do, and they live better. Amsterdam, anyone? However, young girls forced into prostitution? That is another story. And one that wasn't clearly demonstrated - instead we get a lot of opinions by a subjective "journalist" who "couldn't understand" the very Goddess that has prompted the practice she is condemning. Or at least she didn't try very hard. I feel as if I learned nothing about this system at all, and although it is clear that innocent, unknowing kids being tricked into sex slavery should always be stopped, I'm not going to make any conclusions that are black and white based on this "documentary", that is for certain.

Eco Living
Eco Living
12 years ago

No wonder why there is so many Earthquakes,floods, tusarmies and Icefreeze's deaths GOD said he'll wipe out
all these sickos with these so called natural disasters

Mineta Jakupovic Mima
Mineta Jakupovic Mima
12 years ago

sick !!!that's not religion,that's slavery!!!

Vishvas Vasuki
Vishvas Vasuki
12 years ago

The yellamma cult does not define the devadAsI institution. Did you know that the great singer MS Subbulakshmi was born into a family of devadAsI-s and she remained a true devadAsI at heart for all her life? Did you know that the great exponent of bharatanATyam, bAlasarasvatI was a devadAsI - and proud of it, unlike rukmiNI devI arundale (who sought to "reform" the dance to christian ideals)? Did you know that devadAsI-s of pUri were required to be celibate? Besides, prostitution to you may be sexual and financial freedom to others.

In any case, the devadAsI system was no more connected to slavery or exploitation fo women than Catholic priesthood is connected to pedophily.

Ja-Man
Ja-Man
12 years ago

People impoverished , oppressed anywhere either sacrifice theirselves or their children to to those who are so shallow that they think their full stomachs and full pockets make them better.....usually the sarcastic pompous parasites are venom spreaders and sh__ bags

Ame Bible
Ame Bible
12 years ago

This is a sickening world- It is just control over the ignorant -helpless and hapless. Why is the local government so blind to the plight of these helpless individuals. I am at loss for words.

gert2222
gert2222
12 years ago

LOL God whores

tom
tom
12 years ago

no link to watch or download

Ghost_Buster
Ghost_Buster
12 years ago

A choice is a choice, forced or not it's always yours. and there's only one quote for this: Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets(except dogs with broken legs).

mammoor
mammoor
12 years ago

There is no where in the Islamic world who aloud or do such a thing there many Muslim country's around the globe don't have nothing to eat or to wear but they never sell or put them own children in to such a low position am really sad for all thous girls and family , may God be with them.

Alexandra Jane
Alexandra Jane
12 years ago

Poor dog with the broken leg :(

Robyn318
Robyn318
12 years ago

For parents to indoctrinate a child of 8 years old or less into a future life of prostitution to support the family says as much about the culture as the religion. Here in the U.S. we tolerate a lot of ignorance in the name of religion…but there is a boundary that cannot be crossed without swift and severe consequences. How do you respond to something so vile? This is the barbaric stuff done to a conquered people not members of your own society.

This is not the purpose of self-understanding through theism: This is about control, disrespect, contempt and dehumanization of your fellow citizens in an effort to gain self-worth in a society that is devoid of it. I have been through some really tough times; but I just cannot imagine how disgusting life is, even for the higher castes, if this is how they treat their own religious brethren.
I must confess I know almost nothing of the Hindu religion. I cannot believe the original ideology and founding principles taught that to achieve personal enlightenment you forced your neighbor and their pre-adolescent descendants to be treated as sperm receptacles for perpetuity. This is the epitome of Ignorance…and to think they are considered civilized.

Patricia Amundsen
Patricia Amundsen
12 years ago

Perhaps Worms would rather be eagles......if they could fathom such a life. But who is more useful...the Worm or the Eagle?

Guest
Guest
12 years ago

The doc was well made, much honesty from the interviewed, good cinematography and the presenter was well chosen. I enjoy to see these young men and women hosting documentaries.
I know it is becoming easier for anyone to go out in the world movie camera in hand while reporting on things of interest and thanks to group like VICE (proud to say it started in Montreal) and sites like TDF they have an audience.
az

panthera
panthera
12 years ago

Poor women. :-(

Herald
Herald
12 years ago

Will India ever have a civil rights movement? this nonsense of caste system is so 1800. How do India expect to get global respect if they openly and blatantly carry on with the caste system? shame

dewflirt
dewflirt
12 years ago

Bugger, missed it ! :(

over the edge
over the edge
12 years ago

i try not to impose my western morals and values on others that do not share my views. but there has to be a line, there has to be a set of human morals and while some may "choose" this life i do not thing any child had the capacity to make this choice.now i am not attacking the people of India in general or these people in particular. lets not forget this is the oldest profession for a reason and we in the west still struggle with this issue. laws and punishment haven't worked why not try regulation,education (for both prostitutes, customers and general public) and provide real alternatives to this choice. without providing alternatives this will continue because desperate people make desperate decisions.

AlmostAlwaysAwake
AlmostAlwaysAwake
12 years ago

So much for Bronowski's "The Ascent of Man". Progress is an illusion, & intellectual superiority the spinner of the web.