Thanjavur and the Courtly Patronage of Devadasi Dance
From the mid-1670s, Thanjavur was ruled by the Marathi-speaking Bhosala clan from North India, until it came fully under British control in 1856. As Marathi-speaking people running a kingdom administered in the Telugu language, and ruling over a Tamil-speaking population, the Maratha kings developed a uniquely hybrid and innovative courtly …
