Gowri Ammal’s place in the annals

As the last hereditary dancer attached to Kapaleeswarar temple, Gowri Ammal’s home in Mylapore should be restored and preserved

Gowri Ammal, one of the most well-known Bharatanatyam dancers of the 20th century, came from a family of hereditary temple dancers. She was the last to be attached to the Kapaleeswarar temple in Chennai’s Mylapore area. An abhinaya expert, Gowri Ammal holds a special place in the modern history of Bharatanatyam, since it was she who taught later stalwarts such as Balasaraswathi and Rukmini Devi Arundale. Gowri Ammal used to live in a tiled-roof house given to her by the Kapaleeswarar temple, until she was disenfranchised by the new law banning temple dance, a bill introduced by Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy. Gowri Ammal lost her patronage and house, and went on to survive by teaching dance. It is believed that when Gowri Ammal died, Rukmini Devi had to come forward to pay for her last rites. Gowri Ammal’s house still stands, locked up and in disrepair, with a black granite plaque identifying it as belonging to the Kapaleeswarar temple.