Frederique Apffel-Marglin's Wives of the God-King, The Rituals of the Devadasis of Puri, published by Oxford University Press in 1985, is a scholarly study of the maharis, the ritual dancers dedicated in service to the Jagannath temple at Puri, examining the ritual service they performed and the temple tradition from which the classical dance form Odissi partly descends. Apffel-Marglin conducted fieldwork with maharis directly connected to the temple. Its strength is that direct access to a specific, well-documented temple tradition and its practitioners' own understanding of their ritual role. Its limit is that devadasi traditions varied considerably across different regions and temples of India, and the institution as a whole became the subject of considerable colonial-era moralizing and later reform legislation, so a claim generalizing from the Puri maharis to devadasi practice across India needs additional regional sources.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
Frederique Apffel-Marglin's Wives of the God-King, published by Oxford University Press in 1985, is a peer reviewed scholarly study built on fieldwork with maharis directly connected to the Jagannath temple, treated at the top tier. NotesA study of the maharis of the Jagannath temple at Puri and the ritual service they performed, the temple tradition from which Odissi partly descends.
Citation
AuthorFrederique Apffel-Marglin
PublisherOxford University Press
Publication Year1985
Source Typeacademic monograph
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names India directly: "different regions and temples of India, and the institution as a whole became the subject of considerable colonial-era moralizing and later reform legislation, so a claim generalizing from the Puri..."
This source names Jagannath directly: "dancers dedicated in service to the Jagannath temple at Puri, examining the ritual service they performed and the temple tradition from which the classical dance form Odissi partly descends."
Claims Backed By This Source (21 claims)
This source backs 21 claims across the atlas. As facts: 12 well-attested. As cited relationships: 7 holds. Plus 2 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sacred Dances, 9 claims: 3 well-attested, 5 holds, 1 general references.
- Sources, 9 claims: 7 well-attested, 2 holds.
- Sacred Sites, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Articles, 1 claims: 1 well-attested.
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