Disciples of Mahari dancer Rupashree Mohapatra offer sweets to devadasis Sasimani Devi and Parasmani Devi (with garland around her neck) in Puri on the occasion of Guru Divas on Wednesday. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 5: Today, when students expressed their gratitude to their mentors in different ways, a unique celebration took place in Puri.

Mahari dancers performed rituals to offer their reverence and danced for their teachers, the devadasis, to celebrate Guru Divas.

The last living female servitor of Lord Jagannath, devadasi Sasimani Devi and Parasmani Devi — another devadasi who had given up practice many years ago — were draped with new saris.

Leading Mahari dancer Rupashree Mohapatra, who had learnt the ancient temple ritual dance form from the devadasis, had organised the celebrations. The disciples of Mohapatra’s Rupashree Kala Mandir decorated the veteran temple dancers with flower garlands and offered them sweets.

What followed left local residents in awe. Devadasi Parasmani sang songs recited during special festivals of Lord Jagannath in the Puri temple to which Rupashree performed Mahari dance.

Dancer Sashimani Devi, who has not been keeping well since sometime, also joined the league. The exponent of the temple dance directed a few steps to her disciple sitting alongside on a chair in the hall at the Chandrasekhar Pathagara.

Local residents who had gathered there were amazed to see the enthusiasm in the senior dancers and the interaction between the dance gurus and the Mahari dancers.

“Though devadasis used to perform inside the temple in private only in the presence of Lord Jagannath, we had heard a lot about the dancing talent of Sashimani Devi. Today, even as an octogenarian it was stunning to see her get motivated to perform a couple of steps as her friend Parasmani sang a few Jagannath songs. Their disciples have done a wonderful job by bringing them together,” said Prasanta Pratihari, a senior citizen of the city.

For Rupashree, the devadasis will always be her respectable gurus.

“As a kid these legendary dancers groomed me. Though they never danced in public I was lucky to see them perform on celebrated devotional songs of the temple when they used to teach me the steps. I share more of a mother-daughter relation with them,” said Rupashree.

“I will continue to organise events and honour them on Teachers’ Day as I have been doing for over a decade,” she said.