Puri: A more than 800-year-old tradition came to an end with the death of Parasmani Devi, 87, the last practicing devadasi of the 12th century Jagannath Temple in Puri, on Saturday.
Parasmani passed away due to old age-related ailments and was staying at a rented house at Basili Sahi in Puri. She was cremated at Swargadwar.
Parasmani, considered the ‘human wife’ of Lord Jagannath and the lone female servitor of the temple, had been unwell for the past few months.
Before her, Devadasi Shashimani Devi had passed away on March 20 in 2015 at the age of 92.
Notably, over 50 devadasis used to be attached to the temple in the past. While the decline of the ‘Devadasi’ tradition is believed to have begun in 1955, it came to an end with the demise of Parasamani.