Three women clear priest course in Tamil Nadu; New era, says CM Stalin

After appointing non-Brahmin priests, the Tamil Nadu government has for the first time opened up the Archakar Payirchi Palli (Priest Training Schools) for women to undergo a one-year course to get trained as priests.

Three women have successfully passed out this year, while 17 more have enrolled for the 2023-2024 batch. The trio were handed over certificates of the successful completion of the course earlier this week.

S Ramya, S Krishnaveni, and N Ranjitha will be the first lot of women priests to perform pujas at temples that follow Vaishnavite tradition – all passed out from the Priest Training School attached with Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Srirangam near Tiruchirapalli.

“We have decided to give them one more year of training at a temple to ensure that they are well-versed with mantras and agamas. Once they complete the additional training, they will be considered for appointment of priests in temples based on merit,” P K Sekarbabu, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister, told DH.

He also expressed the hope that more women will join the Priest Training Schools in the future. “We will pass this phase as well,” Sekarbabu said, when asked whether there will be any opposition to the move.

The DMK dispensation revived six Priest Training Schools, which were lying dormant since 2008, after it came to power in 2021 following its decision to appoint 24 trained persons from non-Brahmin communities as priests in temples across the state. The decision was opposed by right-wing groups, but the government went ahead with the appointments, saying the students have been trained in agamas.

Chief Minister M K Stalin said three women passing out of a priest training school will herald a “new era of inclusivity and equality.”

“Despite women's achievements as pilots and astronauts, they were barred from the sacred role of temple priests, deemed impure, even in the temples for female deities. But change is finally here…Women are also now stepping into the sanctums, bringing a new era of inclusivity and equality,” he said.

Ramya told DH from Cuddalore that she believed it was the good deeds of her forefathers that have brought her this honour. “I hope to be in the service of God forever. There will be opposition in the beginning, but we hope people will understand that everyone is equal before God. I am very happy that I will become a priest in a year’s time,” she said.

Ramya and her relative Krishnaveni were encouraged by their family members to apply for the one-year course which gave them a monthly stipend of Rs 3,000. While Ramya has a PG degree in Mathematics, Krishnaveni has a UG degree in the same subject.

Ranjitha, a B Sc (Visual Communication) graduate, was working in a private firm in Chennai when her friend suggested that she could join the course. “I felt interested and joined. We have had such good training in the past one year and we hope to be in the service of God very soon,” she added.