Kerala women Hindu priests look forward to Tamil Nadu model reforms

Close on the heels of the Tamil Nadu government allowing women priests at temples, a group of women in Kerala are eagerly awaiting similar reforms in Kerala too as they have just completed training in conducting poojas based on Hindu beliefs.

A total of 22 women, including non-Hindus, completed over two-year-long training in astrology and performing Hindu rituals and received the 'deeksha' (consecration) from K V Subash Tantri of the Peramangalam Nagaraja temple near Vazhakkulam in the suburbs of Ernakulam district. As many as 13 more women are expected to receive the 'deeksha' soon.

The thantri said that though many women turned up for learning astrology, only 35 among them had shown interest in learning about conducting poojas like 'Ganapathi Hommam' and 'Bhagavathy Seva'. Among the 22 who already received the 'deeksha' included two from Christian families and one from Muslim family. Support from their families helped them complete the training successfully, he told DH.

Also read: Tamil Nadu govt to train interested women to be temple priests; revive 6 training schools

Sreeja Shaji, one of the women priests hailing from Kannur district in Kerala, said that she was born in a Roman Catholic family and her close relatives included Christian priests and nuns. She initially turned up to learn astrology owing to certain personal experiences in her life and was thereafter attracted to the Hindu poojas and hence learnt those also.

Rekha Deepu, a Bengaluru based Malayali woman from Thirssur district, was also among those who received the 'deeksha'. She said that in most houses it was women who conduct poojas. But an inequality prevailed when it comes to temple priests. Hence women need to first prove their skills in conducting poojas to bring in a change. This attracted her to undergo the training, said Deepu who is a dance teacher by profession.

Subash said that society has to first accept women as temple priests. For that, the women priests would be initially conducting poojas like Ganapathi Hommam and Bhagavathi Seva at private premises and prove their skills with the results of the rituals. Once society starts to accept women priests, a demand for allowing women priests in temples would naturally come up, he said.

At present, women priests are there only in a few temples including the famed Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja temple at Alappuzha district in Kerala. Women priests are allowed in any of the temples under the state Devaswom Board.

How can women be temple priests as women have natural health issues that make it impossible for them to conduct poojas in temples regularly? asked a Devaswom official.

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