In a strange incident, a lady Home Guard was seen donning the mantle of a Debadashi (temple dancer) for lord Baladevjew, Goddess Subhadra and lord Jagannath on Rath Yatra at Tulashi Kshetra.
Taramani Rout (44), a resident of Bagapatia village under Rajnagar block and a mother of three children, has been playing the role of a Debadashi in front of three deities at the 300- year-old Baladevjew Temple for the last five years, especially during the Rath Yatra and other religious functions.
"Few love to be a Devadashi and perform dance in front of lord Baladevjew these days. However, I feel it great to be a dancer before the deities,” said Taramani. Taramani danced to her heart’s content in front of the chariot at the Bada Danda during the Pahandi Bije.
She enthralled one and all with her elegant footsteps and descent body language. According to Nrusingha Patri , a temple priest, Devadasi is a centuries-old tradition at the Baladevjew Temple. The last Devadasi of the temple was septuagenarian Gorikiran Dasi.
She died eight years back. After her demise, nobody agreed to take her place. To keep the tradition alive, a man dressed like woman performed the role of a Devadasi for some years and then it is Taramani, who offered to be a Devadasi, he informed. "Thanks to my higher-ups, I get leave on the Rath Yatra day to perform dance in front of the deities. After the death of my husband, I have dedicated my life to serve the deities," stated Taramani.