Mahari (temple dancer)

E730603

Mahari (temple dancer) refers to the hereditary female temple dancers of Odisha who performed sacred devotional dances in honor of the deity Jagannath and are considered a historical precursor to the classical Odissi dance tradition.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf female religious specialist
hereditary temple dancer
historical precursor of Odissi
religious functionary
ritual performer
artFormInfluence abhinaya in Odissi dance
marga of Odissi temple tradition
associatedWithDeity Jagannath NERFINISHED
associatedWithRegion Odisha NERFINISHED
associatedWithTemple Jagannath Temple, Puri NERFINISHED
category Hindu temple traditions
Indian classical dance history
costume traditional Odia temple attire
country India
culturalContext Odissi dance tradition NERFINISHED
decline largely disappeared in 20th century
devotionalOrientation Vaishnavism NERFINISHED
distinctFrom modern Odissi stage performers
secular court dancers
era medieval Odisha
function embody devotion to Jagannath
participate in temple rituals
perform sacred dance
gender female
historicalRole precursor to Odissi classical dance
inheritance hereditary profession
languageContext Odia culture
legacy preserved in Odissi repertoire
linkedTradition devadasi system
ornamentation silver jewellery of Odisha
performanceMusic Jagannath bhajans
Odia devotional music
performedDanceForm devotional dance
ritual dance
performedDuring annual Rath Yatra festival
daily temple rituals
performedFor Jagannath NERFINISHED
religious festivals
temple rituals
religion Hinduism
ritualPurityRules subject to strict temple codes
ritualSpace inner precincts of Jagannath Temple
sacredStatus considered wives of Jagannath
socialStatus ritually married to deity
temple servant
studiedIn South Asian dance history
training guru–shishya parampara
oral tradition

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Odissi traditionalPerformer Mahari (temple dancer)