Sashimani Devi
[ Photo: Sampradaya Sun ]

Mar 19, 2015 — JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — The curtain came down on an over 800-year-old Devadasi tradition of Jagannath Temple in Puri with the death of Sashimani Devi, 92, the last practicing Devadasi of the 12th Century shrine, on Thursday.

Sashimani, considered the 'human wife' of Lord Jagannath and lone female servitor of the temple, had been unwell for the past few months owing to old age ailments. She died at the house of her adopted son Somanath Panda, a temple servitor, at Dolamandap Sahi near the temple. Sashimani was cremated at Swargadwar.

"Her condition deteriorated on Wednesday. Despite efforts by the doctors, she could not survive," said Rupashree Mohapatra, her adopted daughter. "With her death, Devadasi tradition has been cremated. What pained us the most is that she failed to survive till Nabakalebara. It was her last wish to watch her Lord's Nabakalebara festival," Mohapatra said.

Several ministers, Jagannath Temple's Chief Administrator Suresh Mohapatra and KIIT and KISS founder Achyuta Samanta mourned the death of Sashimani. The shrine administration, culture department, Puri royal palace and KIIT had been providing her financial assistance for her treatment.

Sashimani was adopted as a Devadasi over 68 years ago by her 'mother' Suryamani. Her duties include dancing before the Lord during Chandan Yatra, Nanda Utsav and Jhulan Yatra and singing the Geeta Govinda. "She stopped her service after she became old, around six or seven years ago. Though another Devadasi, identified as Parasumani Devi is still alive, she discontinued her service long back. Sashimani was the last surviving Devadasi," said Jagannath Temple's spokesperson Laxmidhar Pujapanda.

Temple sources said over 50 Devadasis used to be attached to the temple in the past. But with time, many got married and others passed away. The decline of the Devadasis — or Maharis as they are known in Odisha — is believed to have started in 1955, with the state government taking over the temple administration from the royal family.

"A census by the state government in 1955 counted 30 Devadasis attached to the temple at that time. When I arrived in Puri in the fall of 1975, only nine of these women could be identified as devadasis or ex-devadasis," says anthropologist Frederique Apffel Marglin in her book, Wives of the God-King: The Rituals of the Devadasis of Puri.

Debadutta Samantasinhar, who did research on Devadasi tradition said, "Like several other services and rituals, the service of Samprada Niyog came to an end in Jagannath temple with her death. There should be some attempt to keep alive these cultural practices."

Secretary of Guru Pankaj Charan Odissi Foundation, Sarat Das said, "Mahari dance is a contribution of Devadasi system. These dancers from nachuni community enriched the dance form with their performances over the years, which later helped in the growth and development of Odissi."