How R Muthukannammal, Tamil Nadu’s last Devadasi dancer, keeps Sadir tradition alive

Devadasis were professional dancers who were ‘dedicated’ to the temple to worship and perform in front of the deity and were financially supported by royal courts. The practice of dedicating girls to temples under the ceremony, called ‘pottu kattudhal’, was banned in the late 1930s and the Devadasi tradition came to an end in Independent India.

During her recent trip to Chennai to teach Sadir, the classical Indian dance, to college students, Muthukannammal had a freewheeling chat with The Federal, taking us through her life journey, from her beginnings as a dancer in the Viralimalai temple to her current struggles to preserve the art form.

“I am the seventh generation Sadir dancer from my family. There is no one to take over the legacy now as the Devadasi tradition is banned. But the dance, which was performed by Devadasis like myself, was copied and tweaked into the various styles of Bharatanatyam that we see today. I want to pass on these steps to young dancers who are interested in knowing about our art form, which is about 600 years old, and has been passed on to me by my ancestors,’’ Muthukannammal said.

Going by the grammar

Besides dance, Muthukannammal also remembers innumerable songs in languages like Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Marathi and Maithili to which she had performed in the royal court of Pudukkottai. Her recent plea to any visitor is all about documenting songs sung by devadasi dancers like her in various languages. So far it was passed from seniors to juniors over the years. And never documented.

“I performed my arangetram (debut on-stage performance) at the age of seven. Unlike the modern day Bharatanatyam, performers of Sadir were expected to dance and sing the song simultaneously. The ensemble of singing and dancing is an unmatchable experience a dancer can have. I will be glad if someone can document the song collection I have and that too in various languages,’’ she said.

Asked about the number of songs, she giggled: “It might be close to a hundred. I don’t have the exact count. But my memory never fails to sing them in order because I learned through practice over several years.” Absorbed in Muthukannammal’s recital of a Sangam poem, Gowri, a dance student at Shasun Jain College for Women, is quick to grasp the differences between Sadir and Bharatanatyam.  

I observed her performing with her graceful steps and expressions. I was amazed to learn an art form that was once exclusively performed for deities and royalty. Although she was teaching us a few steps, she made sure to begin with the Salam and conclude with the Mangalam, which she learnt as the basic grammar of dance. Her energy levels soared when we replicated movements without any hiccups,” said Gowri.

Several students visit Muthukannammal at her humble one-bedroom house in Viralimalai to take notes and enhance their research on dance history. Though she is growing fragile, she quickly prepares herself when she receives a visitor. Muthukannammal is also meticulous about her attire and makeup during performances.

“In the past, we used to adorn ourselves with various ornaments that weighed nearly 100 sovereigns. The sarees would be heavy, and our hairdos would be ornamental too. We would wear fresh flowers and always keep ourselves fresh and clean, as we performed to serve the deity and royal families. That practice remains with me. However, I no longer wear heavy jewelry and costly sarees as I do not have them anymore,” she said.

Dancing for a living? Not quite

Unlike Muthukannammal, whose family received patronage from the Pudukkottai royal family and had the support of a husband, several devadasis were pushed into prostitution to earn their living. “My family is known as Sadir Kudumbam (Sadir family) in Viralimalai. But many other devadasis fell into bad times for their survival,’’ she says.

Dr Muthulakhsmi Reddy, the first woman member of the Madras Legislative Council, proposed the Devadasi Abolition Bill in 1930, which was enacted in Independent India in 1947. As patronage dipped for devadasi families after the Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act, Muthukannammal’s family also lost their earnings. During his stint as the editor with the Film Division of India, S. Shanmuganathan produced a biopic on Muthukannammal in 2019.

“I documented her life, the Devadasi tradition, and how the dance form thrived in Tamil Nadu. I saw many interested young men and women visit her to learn and also to improve their postures. It will be a major project to document her songs, which will not be available if we fail to record from her,’’ said Shanmuganathan. Muthukannamal, who received Padma Shri award in 2022 for her contribution to the arts.

So, what is making this octogenarian continue to dance and teach at this age? Muthukannammal recollects the vow she made to her father, Ramachandra Nattuvanar. “Several celebrity dancers, including Padma Subrahmanyam, had learnt steps from my father. He was very strict about performing in the temple daily during the pooja. So, we hardly had any chance to perform in cities or any other stages and we never thought of making money out of performances. So, many dancers would visit my father and some even stayed for weeks to learn movements and expressions and fine-tune them. He did not save any money and was happy with his teachings. He told me that I should teach Sadir to whoever knocks on my door. Despite mounting financial constraints, I am honouring my word to him, and do not charge for teaching,” she said.