Jasma Odan

Jasma Odan is a folk deity from medieval Gujarat about a woman who committed sati to protect her honor after her husband was murdered by Siddharaj Jaisinh, a king of Chaulukya dynasty.

Legend

Jasma was a wife of Rooda who was a pond digger. They belonged to the Odh rajput tribe, a drifting tribe of laborers in Gujarat, Kathiawar, and some parts of Rajasthan.^[1] They were at Anhilwad Patan to dig Sahastralinga Tank, a lake and thousand shrines with lingam. Siddharaj Jaisinh, a king of Chaulukya dynasty, was captivated by the beauty of Jasma and proposed marriage. He offered to make her queen of Gujarat but she refused. Jaisinh killed her husband. She committed sati, by jumping into the pyre, to protect her honor. Her curse made the tank of Sahasralinga Tank waterless and Siddharaj without an heir to his kingdom of Gujarat.^[2][3]

The Jasmadevi temple dedicated to her, constructed by the Odh rajput tribe in the 12th century, is situated near Sahasralinga Tank at Patan, Gujarat.

Popular culture

A Bhavai vesha, a folk theatre form based on legend, has been performed since the nineteenth century.^[4][2] It was recreated for a stage performance titled Jasma Odan by Shanta Gandhi in 1982.^[5] The 1926 Indian silent film Sati Jasma about the folk deity was created by Homi Master. It starred Gohar Mamajiwala and Khalil in the lead roles.^[6] A Gujarati film titled Sati Jasma Odan was directed by Chandrakant Sanghani]] in 1976. The songs of the film were penned by Kanti Ashok and music was composed by Mahesh Naresh.^[6]

See also

• Sahastralinga Tank

References

1. Pal, Sushilaben; Narula, S. C. (1998). "Some Ballads and Legends : Gujarati Folklore". Indian Literature. 42 (5 (187)): 172–184. ISSN 0019-5804. JSTOR 23338788.
2. Bharati Ray (2009). Different Types of History. Pearson Education India. pp. 374, 380–381. ISBN 978-81-317-1818-6.
3. Bharati Ray (4 October 2005). Women of India: Colonial and Post-colonial Periods. SAGE Publications. pp. 527–. ISBN 978-0-7619-3409-7.
4. Manohar Laxman Varadpande (1992). History of Indian Theatre. Abhinav Publications. pp. 174–. ISBN 978-81-7017-278-9.
5. Vasudha Dalmia; Rashmi Sadana (5 April 2012). The Cambridge Companion to Modern Indian Culture. Cambridge University Press. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-139-82546-7.
6. Ashish Rajadhyaksha; Paul Willemen (10 July 2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Taylor & Francis. pp. 11–. ISBN 978-1-135-94325-7.