Last Surviving Devdasi Of Sri Jagannath Temple ,Puri Passees Away Ending Age Old Traditional Service

19 March, Puri , Odisha

Sashimani Devdasi, the last surviving Devdasi of Sri Jagannath Temple, passed away in her Dolmandop Sahi residence Thursday , after a protracted illness. She was 92.

She was in bed for last many months, suffering from old age-related health problems.

At the age of 12, she was inducted into this devdasi seva in Sri mandir. In her young days, she used to dance before the Lord during Badasimhar Vesha while the deities went to sleep in the night and in other temple festivals like Chandan Yatra.

Later in her old age, her service was confined to reciting Geet Gobinda only. She represents Mahalaxmi and closes the temple gate to the lord Jagannath while he returns from the Gundicha temple after Rath Yatra.

Since Devdasis remain unmarried and maintain celibacy,she has no children. As per the tradition, to continue the Debdasi seva, a devdasi has to adopt a young girl and trainher in dance and religious songs before she is commissioned into the job.

The Devdasi service came to an end with the demise of Sashimani as she had not adopted a girl. She was paid by the temple for her services. The temple too was bearing her medical expenses too and an old age pension was provided to her, temple PRO LD Puja panda said.

Jagannath temple Chief Administrator SC Mahapatra condoled the demise of Sashimani. Many of her dance studentspaid their tributes, while her mortal remains were consignedto flames at the Swargdwar crematorium after the holy firewas released from the temple kitchen.

As per temple traditions, servitors of the temple get theholy fire to ignite the funeral pyre at the Swargdwarburning ghat