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Staging the leader's divinity

Keywords: India, Keśavdās, Orchā, Pātura, Pravīṇ Rāy, Woman.

The aim of this article is to spread the role played by those women belonging to the courtly and artistic sphere of late medieval India. Specifically, we will focus on the figure of the pātura, trying to claim a new definition and conception for this term, given its importance in the transmission of Indian dance and musical forms. Although we will start by mentioning a well-known case, further on we will focus our study on a particular pātura, Pravīṇ Rāy, an artist associated to the court of Orchā, the capital city of the ancient Bundelkhaṇḍ – nowadays in Madhya Pradeś. We will begin by outlining some of the legends for which it is popular in the region. Then we will turn to the facts provided by a primary source that is directly related with our protagonist – one of the works of the great poet Keśavdās –, which will allow us to conclude reaffirming the significance of the pāturas and revaluing the role of these artists.