Sasimani Debi (alternatively spelled ''Sashimani, Shashimani, Devi''), was the last living Mahari or

Devdasi In India, a devadasi was a female artist who was dedicated to the worship and service of a deity or a temple for the rest of her life. The dedication took place in a ceremony that was somewhat similar to a marriage ceremony. In addition to taki ...

of Jagannath temple and “human consort” of the Lord

Jagannath Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...

. Sashimani came from a poor family and was initiated into service at the temple when she was a small girl. At the age of 12, she was considered a “living wife” of Lord Jagannath, the god who is worshiped at the

Jagannath temple The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu - one of the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism. Puri is in the state of Odisha, on the eastern coast of India. The present temple was rebuilt f ...

, and she was not expected to marry anyone in her entire lifespan. According to temple records, she was one of about 25 women assigned to care for Jagannath and was the last among them who was alive.

Early life

At the age of 12, Sashimani was inducted into Devadasi Seva after being ceremonially married to Lord Jagannath at the age of 7 or 8. As a part of her duties, she used to dance before the Lord during Badasinghara Besha and festivals related to the Jagannath temple including Chandan Jatra. As Sashimani grew old, her services were confined to reciting

Gitagovinda The ''Gita Govinda'' ( sa, गीत गोविन्दम्; ) is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva. It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and ''gopis'' (female cow herders) of Vrindavan. The ''Gita G ...

in the traditional

Odissi music music () is a genre of classical music in India, originated from the eastern state of Odisha. The traditional ritual music for the service of Lord Jagannatha, Odissi music has a history spanning over two thousand years, authentic ''sangita-shas ...

manner.

Devadasi culture in Odisha

The Orissa Gazette of 1956 mentions some occasions where the devadasis danced. They had two daily rituals. The Bahar Gaaunis would dance at the ''Sakaala Dhupa''.

Lord Jagannath Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hinduism, Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balarama, Ba ...

, after breakfast, would give Darshan to the bhaktas (the devotees). In the Main hall, a devadasi accompanied by musicians and the Rajguru, the court guru, would dance, standing near the

Garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...

sthambha (pillar).This dance could be watched by the audience. They would perform only pure dance here. The Bhitar Gaunis would sing at the ''Badasinghara'', the main ceremony for ornamenting and dressing the God.

, at bedtime, would be first served by male Sebaets- they would fan Him and decorate Him with flowers.

Death

At the age of 92 she died at Dolamandapa sahi,

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is als ...

, and was cremated at Swargadwar in Puri, where her foster son Somanath Panda lit the funeral pyre brought from the kitchen of Jagannath temple.

References

External links

Sashimani Devi, temple dancer - obituary
{{Authority control Articles created or expanded during Women's History Month (India) - 2015 People from Odisha Jagannath 2015 deaths