Puri: The last surviving Devadasi Parasamani of Lord Jagannath passed away due to old age-related ailments here on Saturday. She was 80.
As per the tradition, a Devadasi at the Shree Jagannath Temple use to sing and dance before the Lord in the night. It is believed the Lord goes to sleep amid the melodious song and dance.
She began her training as a devadasi at the age of seven, when she accepted Lord Jagannath as her husband and served him.
The Record of Rights (RoR) of the temple indicated that there were about 25 Devadasis in Puri about 100 years ago, Orissa Gazette of 1956 lists 9 Devadasis and 11 musicians in Puri temple.
Ms Kalinga