She is the only one who can assert with certainty that she will never become a widow.
The red mark of vermilion (sindoor) on her head confirms her status as a married lady. She performs the traditional
ritual of Savitri Brata every year that’s performed by only the married women seeking the wellbeing and long life of
their husbands. She is indeed a privileged wife. For her husband is none other than the lord of the universe –
Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of the grand temple of Puri.
Yes, she is married to God. “I have closely felt His presence when I go to
deep sleep. We are just like husband and wife. We both are connected with the cord of eternal love, which is above human relations,”
she relates before media persons.
Sashimani , aged 87, is the only surviving Devadasi of Puri. For that matter she is the
last torch-bearer of the great mahari tradition to which Odissi dance owes its origination. Devadasis,
or the maharis as they are known in Puri, have been performing song and dance rituals in the holy temple for centuries together.
The Devadasi system was introduced in the Jagannath temple by king Chodagangadev in the 12th century as an integral
part of the essential sevas (services) of the temple.
Lamentably Sashimani, due to her frail health, is today not able to perform even a token
song presentation before the Lord. Thus has come to an end the age-old tradition of song and dance performances before Lord
Jagannath behind the closed doors of the sanctum sanctorium. Kokila Prabha, another Devadasi, used to sing the Gita Govinda everyday during the bed-time
of the deity until her death in 1992. After her the daily ritual came to a virtual end.
Sashimani regrets that today no other parent wishes to dedicate his or her daughter at
the service of Lord Jagannath. As per tradition the girl in order to become a Devadasi should be inducted into the holy service
before she attains the age of puberty. She is then treated as married to the Lord for the rest of her life, thus forgoing the
prospect of getting married again to any one in flesh and blood. This level of supreme sacrifice is unparalleled in our society.
But given that such a sacrifice was in the earlier times being made unilaterally by the parents without taking into account
the consent or otherwise of the ‘victims’ the rationalist sections of the society began raising voices against
the same.
This is the reason why when in the early 90s the Jagannath temple administration attempted
to enrol new Devadasis, it met with nation-wide protests. Commenting upon this Sashimani says, “No girl should be forced
to become a Devadasi as it is against wishes of the Lord.”
What does a Devadasi gain besides the intangible glory of being the wife of God? In materialistic
terms: nothing. Hardly does any one bother to understand the plight of a living Devadasi. For Sashimani today receives only
a paltry monthly pension of Rs.300 from the temple administration. “Many come and go, paying lip service. Very
few understand the difficulties a Devadasi goes through,” she says.
While it would be a misplaced aspiration to expect the revival of the Devadasi tradition
in Puri, one should not bury into oblivion the sacrifices made by generations of Devadasis in upholding a valuable ritual
of the Jagannath temple and in the process nurturing the growth of a great form of classical dance now known world-wide
as Odissi. We pay our obeisance to the blessed ‘wives’ of the Lord who have sacrificed life-time of their comforts for
a spiritual cause.
