BOOK EXTRACTS
Thanjavur through the ages
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Well known dancer-choreographer Lakshmi Vishwanathan explores the world of the Devadasi, the historical context and the changing face of the tradition through her new book Women of Pride. Presenting exclusive excerpts.
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Photo: VINTAGE VIGNETTES
LOST HERITAGE: Their fall began with the decline of royal patronage.
Thanjavur, the capital, extended its influence over the whole of South India. The fame and fortune of dancers and courtesans rose and fell with the royal dynasties of the region. The early Pallava, Chola and Pandya rule of South India which spanned s
everal centuries from the seventh to the 13th, had laid the foundation for a great civilisation. The legacy of art and architecture, nurtured by these dynasties defined the character of South India. In and around the great temples grew every kind of intellectual and artistic activity. With Hindu religion becoming the passion of both the king and the people, every art form became a tool to serve God. Thus was the Devadasi, the servant of the God re-invented as the Rajadasi, the royal court dancer. Ritual worship was conducted with greater pomp in the monumental temples…
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Devadasis were at the very centre of this vast and rich cultural transformation caused by the re-discovery of a lost heritage. Their music and dance served two main purposes. One was to sanctify the temple. The other was to serve the king. Besides, they were also trained to lend charm and beauty to the lives of many, including noblemen and priests.
Pivotal role
The pivotal role of the Devadasi, a symbol of good luck because of her auspicious presence as the wife of the god, was important. Both God and his manifestation on earth, namely the king, had to be shown appropriate ritual respect. Waving the lighted lamp, the ‘Aarathi’, in the presence of the king and God, warded off the effects of the evil eye. It also ensured prosperity to the nation. The harbinger of this good fortune had to be the perennially auspicious woman, the Nityasumangali or Devadasi…
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Innumerable inscriptions from Chola times tell us of the philanthropy of Devadasis. They erected new shrines, rebuilt old and crumbling ones, plated some of the roofs with copper, gold and brass. They commissioned master sculptors (Sthapathis) to make gold and bronze images of gods, goddesses and saints to be installed in temples. To conduct the worship of these images, they also gifted rice and paddy. Part of their ‘devadana’ (sacred donation) was agricultural land. Sometimes they donated entire villages to make sure that the temple was well maintained. Devadasis who had specific roles to play in the festivals and processions of temples donated lands to ensure these celebrations. The wealthier Devadasis donated jewelry, lamps, plates, and bells made of solid gold for temple service. To ensure that lamps remained perpetually lit in temples, they donated lands which yielded crops. Whenever natural calamities like cyclones and storms damaged temple Gopurams (the gateway towers) Devadasis contributed money for their reconstruction. Their generosity extended to feeding Brahmins and pilgrims. One of the charming gifts made by Devadasis to the temple was the flower garden. This ensured that the deity would be adorned with seasonal flowers like jasmines, oleanders, roses, marigolds and so on. All such donations for temple worship have been recorded in inscriptions and copper plates as ‘devadiyal kattalai’ (endowed by order of a Devadasi)…
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As an acknowledgement of their public service, Devadasis were given certain privileges. One of the most prestigious was the waving of the Chamaram (whisk) before the deity during the ‘ther’, the temple chariot procession. Kings and nobles patronised them as a mark of recognition and endowed them with titles and prefixes to their names. One of these was ‘Nakkan’, a synonym for Shiva in his ascetic form. Some Devadasis were named after saints, while others were given the title Talaikkoli to denote that they were experts in dance. There were even instances of kings being so pleased with their dance so as to name a village after a Devadasi. Of course, the ultimate honour was an invitation to join the royal household.
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A new facet of royal patronage of the arts evolved during the Maratha period. This included an academic approach to literature, music and dance. Thanjavur and Tamilnadu inherited a tangible legacy of learning from the Maratha dynasty. The Bhosale dynasty brought innumerable modern concepts with them which influenced the life of their Court. It was literally the heyday of the Devadasis. While they sang and danced to Telugu poetry, the king composed in Marathi and commanded the musicians to tune the lyrics. The Dasi’s music and dance virtually held the kings captive. The kings were at the centre of a current artistic renaissance. Like their predecessors they too went about appointing royal musicians and dancers. By establishing the Sangita Mahal (music palace), Nataka Shala (dance hall) and the Sarasvati Mahal library they emphasized the artistic prerogatives of their times. The atmosphere was charged with a grand and ceremonial recognition of arts and scholarship.
Support system
Musicians and dancers were generously gifted lands, houses and entire villages. The kings fully understood the inter dependence of the arts and saw to it that a support system and infrastructure were carefully installed. For example, craftsmen who made musical instruments were included in the patronage list. Research in the theory of music was encouraged. Archives of manuscripts were set up. Special officers were appointed to oversee all musical activities in the court. Temples were once again specially endowed with wealth for employing singers of hymns (odhuvars) and ritual dancers…
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The king Sarabhoji II of Thanjavur, was relieved of the duties of governance by the British. He took the situation in his stride and concentrated on patronising Art and Literature in his grand palace. The temple in Thanjavur too played host to new dance productions. Kottaiyur Sivakkolundu Desikar composed the Sarabendra Bhupala Kuravanji, a ‘Natakam’ or dance- drama of the Kuravanji genre. In praise of Sarabhoji, it was danced by a group of select Devadasis on festive occasions. The delicate looking Kamalam, a renowned dancer of Thanjavur, whom I met in the 1970’s showed me photographs of herself and her companions in the Kuravanji costumes when they danced the Sarabendra Bhupala Kuravanji. A palace dancer of this period whose name became a legend was Veenabhashini Ammal. She is supposed to have been the Rajamohini or princess in performances of the Kuravanji in Thanjavur. The gurus of the Thanjavur palace also directed the ‘Manmatha Nataka’ in the temple on special occasions. Artists flourished and so did the king, for he was pensioned off by the British and was not expected to be politically active. His permanent gift to the Tamil tradition is the vast collection of manuscripts housed in the Sarasvati Mahal Library, an adjunct of the Thanjavur palace. Sarabhoji himself composed many songs for dance, and lent his name as a signature to compositions by court musicians.
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The decline of the court dancer had begun as early as the early 18th century when Britain began its domination of South India. Thanjavur and its royalty steadily declined in power and prestige. Artists, poets, crafts persons, scholars and poets were driven to destitution by extensive political changes.
Decline
In short, all those who depended on the patronage of the royal court were deprived of even meagre sustenance. Large numbers of women were driven to penury and, in all likelihood, prostitution. The sociological changes affected people’s perceptions to such an extant that the once venerated dasi fell from grace, never to regain her position of respectability. Only few of them survived this downfall purely because of their courage, their extraordinary talent and the support of patrons who were committed both to the ‘art’ and the person of the devadasi.
The dance was re-invented for the modern proscenium stage, re-named Bharatanatyam, found new patrons, and taught to a new group of girls who did not belong to the devadasi community. Chennai the commercial capital of South India became the seat of culture in this process, replacing Thanjavur and its royal court.
Women of Pride: The Devadasi Heritage; Lakshmi Vishwanathan, Lotus/Roli, Rs. 295.
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