Last Surviving Devadasi of Puri Jagannath Temple Dies

Puri: Parasmani Devi, the last surviving Devadasi of Jagannath Temple in Puri, passed away due to old age ailments on Saturday. She was 87.

Parasmani Devi used to sing songs at the 11th century shrine. However, she has not been active as a Devadasi for a long time. She was staying in a rented house in Puri and was not attached to the temple rituals for long.

Sashimani Devi, who died in 2015 was the last active Devadasi of the Jagannath temple. She used to perform Mahari dance in front of the lord.

As per the tradition, devadasi accepts Lord Jagannath as their husband and remains unmarried throughout their life. Devasdasi used to sing and dance in front of the lord in the night. They used to observe all the rituals that a Hindu married women follows.

They used to have special roles during the Ratha Jatra, Nabakalebara and the Nanda Utsav.