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, and enjoyed high social status.
   • 2017, Sunil Khilnani, Incarnations, Penguin, page 372:

     It would be a century before the daughter of another devadasi mesmerized audiences around the world.

See also

• Nagarvadhu

Further reading

• devadasi on Wikipedia.Wikipedia