devadasi

English

Etymology

From the Sanskrit देवदासी (devá-dāsī, “female servant of a deity”), from देव (devá, “deity, god”) and दासी (dāsī, “a female servant or slave”).

Noun

devadasi (plural devadasis)

  1. (Hinduism, historical) A girl who underwent the Hindu religious practice of being "married" to a deity. In addition to taking care of the temple, she learned and practiced Bharatanatyam and other classical Indian arts, enjoying high social status.
    Synonyms: temple dancer, temple girl
    • 2017, Sunil Khilnani, Incarnations, Penguin, page 372:
      It would be a century before the daughter of another devadasi mesmerized audiences around the world.

Translations

See also

  • Nagarvadhu

Further reading

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