Dancing girls in temples

[Full title: Socio-Religious Life of the Pallava Period: Dancing girls in temples]

The tradition of employing dancing girls in temples, if studied from the sociological point of view reveals that, similar to the patronage dancers received in the king’s palace, they were also employed in the temples built by them, which was an abode of the god, the universal king. Thus, the system of employing dancing girls in temples is a reflection of the life style of the kings and nobles. The prevalence of the practice of assigning dancing girls to temples in the period under study is attested by epigraphical references. An inscription of the reign of Nandivarman II Pallavamalla from the Muktesvara temple at Kanchipuram (circa 759 A.D.)^[1] records the appointment of number of dancing girls to the god Manikkadevar at shrine called Dharmamahadevisvara-griham. K. K. Ramamurty^[2] identifies fifteen names of dancing girls employed in this temple. It seems probably that the temple itself was caused to be constructed under the orders of the queen Dharmamahadevi. Similar reference is also found from the inscriptions of the reign of Dantivarman^[3] and Nandivarman III^[4] (9^th century A.D.). An inscription of the 19^th regnal year of Nrpatungavarman (circa 888 A.D.)^[5] found engraved on the brow of the natural cavern, locally known as Sarukkumalai in the village Chinnapalampakkam (Vellore district), records the construction of a temple for the merit of the pontiff Simhanandi-bhattarar of Pennagadam, by a dancing girl (sulaikal) named Siriya-nangaiyar of Pangala-nadu. This particular act reflects the financial status of dancing girls in Pallava society.

However, while dealing with the sculptural art of this period, there is no precise identification of a dancing girl. A study of the context may help to some extent in getting satisfactory interpretation of these sculptures. The Avanibhajana-Pallavesvara-griham at Siyamangalam contains one of the earliest bas-relief sculptural representations of this period. The northern pilaster of the facade on the upper saduram portion, contains two bas-relief sculptures -Vrishabhantaka-murti along with Parvati on the southern flank and a female figure on the western flank. Similarly, the southern pilaster of the facade also carries two bas-relief sculptures -Nataraja on the northern flank and a female figure on the western flank. Both the female figures are seen standing in graceful pose. The one on the northern pilaster holds perhaps, a flower-basket (pushpa-puta) in her left hand and is in the act of offering the flowers with the right hand. The corresponding figure on the southern pilaster holds a lotus in her right hand, with the left one placed on the waist in kati posture. Both of them wear yajnopavita. If these sculptures on their respective pilasters are studied as a continuous panel, then the female figures may be interpreted as devotees or celestials offering worship to the respective deities carved on their sides. If they were treated as individual figures then they face the incoming visitor or devotee entering into the cave temple and give the impression that they are in the act of inviting them into the temple. The presence of yajnopavita and their graceful pose may hint at the possibility of them being either celestial dancers or their earthly equivalent viz., dancing girls employed in the temple. Similarly, the pilasters fronting the ardhamandapa of Ranganatha cave temple at Singavaram, have elegantly carved female figures framed inside niches. These femal figures, which have been variously described^[6] as devotees or dvarapalikas stand in graceful tribhanga pose with the outer arms placed in kati and inner arms holding a nilotpala flower. The graceful tribhanga posture may hint that they may not represent a common women devotee and could be either a dvarapalika or even a celestial dancer standing in such graceful pose after performing dance. It is known that the dwelling place of the god and his daily services are done imitating the royalty. So if the same concept of courtesans is applied in a temple, then the numerous female chamara-dharis (fig. 9) adorning the various structural temples of the period, like in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram can be indeed regarded as representing the community of dancing girls as well, though they are not depicted in such suggestive poses. Such an interpretation and identification need not be considered as superfluous and bereft of evidence in the light of epigraphical evidences^[7], which attests to the existence of the tradition of assigning dancing girls to the temples of this period.