num_pages: 388
description: The temple and cult of Jaganntha at Puri in Orissa represents one of the most important constituents of Hindu religion and culture. Close to 1500 people perform ritual duties at this temple all of whom are males except for a small group of women known as devadasis (literally: female servants of the deity) or temple dancers. Within the altered social conditions of modern India their position has changed rapidly and this study recaptures its past significance.The devadasis do not marry - their dedication to temple service being regarded as a form of marriage to the main deity Jaganntha. The devadasis represent the auspiciousness of the married woman since they never become inauspicious widows. A study of their rituals and the myths recounted by them reveals the concept of auspiciousness to be a major category distinct from that of purity. The devadasis even though they are not chaste do embody the auspiciousness of the married state and of sovereignty; they are closely associated not only with temple rituals but also with palace rituals and with the king who is the living incarnation of their divine husband.Dr Marglin's work reveals a whole new axis of value in Hindu culture corresponding to the concepts of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness. These values do not speak of hierarchy or order but of a dynamic life force. This life power she argues is non-hierarchical female and crucial to understanding the royal function. This study illuminates not only the meaning of the institution of the devadasis but also throws new light on Hindu women kinship and kingship as well as certain aspects of Bhakti and Tantra.Dr Marglin is Professor of Anthropology Smith College Northampton Massachusetts.The illustration on the jacket depicts a sculpture of an apsaras unfastening her skirt. (From the heaven-bands of the Rjrn temple Bhubaneswar Orissa. Early 12th century A.D.) Photo Sunil Janah
language: English
title: Wives of the God-King: The Rituals of the Devadasis of Puri
publisher: Oxford University Press