Devadasis, a crude catch-all word used to describe independent female dancers, musicians, and entertainers of India, have been wiped out of Indian history. She probably invented the bindi, and other female adornments, worn by women in India today. But like her contribution to music and dance, no one wants to consider this possibility.

The red dot (bindi) of vermillion (sindoor) placed on the forehead, a little above the bridge of the nose, is globally identified as a mark of Hindu femininity, just as the hijab is identified as the mark of Islamic femininity. But while Muslims quote the Quran or Hadith to legitimise their customs, the Hindus have no such textual reference, and we resort to the imagination of religious power brokers, usually men, and the women who adore such men.