(Top) Mahari dancer Rupashree Mohapatra performs in front of the deities at an event and (above) Sashimani Devadasi, the last living servitor of the Jagannath temple. Pictures by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, June 12: The ailing Lord Jagannath is undergoing treatment by his servitors at a secret place on the Puri temple premises. And his last living female servitor, Sashimani Devadasi, still misses tending to the Lord during his illness.

The important role that the devadasis used to play during and before the rath yatra has now been taken over by the male servitors.

The love of the devadasis for Lord Jagannath is highlighted during the events of the rath yatra. Also known as Maharis, these honoured women, who were wedded to the Lord himself in their childhood, would sing fascinating traditional poems telling Lord Jagannath’s tales and praising him on Debasnana Purnima at the Snana Bedi or the altar where the deities are given a bath. They would also perform many rituals.

Among the most significant services by the Maharis during rath yatra was taking care of the Lord during his hibernation, when they would apply medicine and lotion on the idol of Jagannath to aid his speedy recovery.

“Today, I am bed ridden and do not have the strength to serve my Lord. At one time, the whole team of devadasis used to be intensely involved in curing the deities when they fell sick before the rath yatra,” reminisced 89-year-old Sashimani Devi.

Her adopted daughter, dancer Rupashree Mohapatra, who is trained in the authentic Mahari dance that the devadasis used to perform for the deities of the temple, recalled her childhood when she would wait eagerly to see the female servitors perform various roles during the rath yatra.

“It is believed that Goddess Laxmi is hurt because Lord Jagannath does not take her along for the tour during rath yatra. So also would all the Maharis be hurt and miss the Lord, without whom the sanctum of the temple seemed empty. They would console the goddess by singing songs,” said Mohapatra.

“They would be miserable during the Lord’s trip and on the fifth day of the tour, known as Hera Panchami, they would accompany the idol of the Goddess Laxmi to break Lord Jagannath’s chariot. And when the Lord returned to the temple, they would scold him for not having taken them with him on the tour,” she said.

The series of events leading to rath yatra and following it felt quite dull without the Maharis, Mohapatra said. “There would be so much singing and dancing and feminine affection in all the rituals and events during rath yatra. But now, there is no presence of women in any of the events,” she said.

With the tradition of the devadasis coming to an end, the male servitors have taken over the task of looking after the Lord.

“For us, Lord Jagannath is everything and we make sure we do all that is possible to serve him. We have also taken over the role of the devadasis in singing traditional hymns and poems and performing the rites and rituals that female servitors or devadasis used to carry out,” said a servitor of the temple.