Posted by Anon (68.36.215.74) on July 12, 2005 at 03:01:43:

 In Reply to: How the Devadasis/ Maharis paid the price to preserve our Dances

Posted by Caraf on July 10, 2005 at 08:49:42:

 Caraf,

I do agree that the devadasis were probably incredible women who did so much for the art, but I have to disagree with you as far as giving credit goes. People DO recognize the pivotal role they played in preserving the artform for literally centuries. Numerous individuals in the isai vellala caste have been revered for their unfathomable contributions to music and dance. Perhaps you feel the way you do because the devadasi dancers are no more, and the focus has shifted to the urban stage in Chennai... but this is just progression of society. The devadasis have certainly not been forgotten. Senior dance gurus still perform items they learned from devadasis and speak so highly of the times when they witnessed the great Balasaraswati or Gowri Ammal dancing.

I, too, am a young classical dancer, so my opinion is just that, an opinion. I like to think that dancers know where the art came from, and are respective of that, but strive to innovate at the same time. Every source of Indian classical dance will not have 10 pages dedicated to the history of Bharata Natyam and the devadasi tradition, as so much is going on in the world of dance today itself (not to mention everything that has happened since the pro-nautch movement headed by the Music Academy). Most sites at least make mention of devadasis and the history of dance. If you want to find a lot of information on exclusively temple dancers, you should go to articles specifically dealing with that topic. There are even some here on narthaki.com.