In a two part series, TNM delves into the implementation of the Tamil Nadu government’s all caste archaka training scheme and the challenges involved.
On the way to the Parthasarathy Temple at Triplicane in Chennai, one can spot several markers of a temple town. Thinnai houses, typical of agraharams (the Brahmin quarters), are a common sight. Streets are lined with shops that sell flowers, garlands, tulasi, incense and other paraphernalia that one needs for worship. And then there is the Parthasarathy Temple — a temple steeped in centuries worth of tradition, and is often seen as the symbol of Brahminical stronghold in Hinduism. But still, modernity finds a way. The Parthasarathy Temple was one among the six temples chosen by the then Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Chief Minister Karunanidhi, back in 2007, to house an archaka training centre. These centres were opened with the intention of welcoming members from all castes to be trained to become priests. While the training centre was shut down a year after its first set of students graduated in 2008, it was reopened in August this year, and now has seven students who are training to be archakas.
TNM’s endeavour to get access to the training centre was not easy, as prior permission had to be sought from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) officer in-charge of the temple. After a long wait, permission was granted, but locating the centre was another task. Asking the priests in the temple for the whereabouts of the training centre was no help, because they either said that they did not know where it was located, or claimed that the classes had not started yet. But we found it, eventually. The archaka training school is not within the premises of the temple, but on a street behind it. Students who are part of the training programme are expected to wear the poonal (sacred thread, often worn by Brahmin men) and a naamam (symbol that shows affiliation to Vishnu) on their foreheads at all times.
Twenty-year-old Thiyagaraj, who belongs to a Most Backward Caste (MBC), is one of the seven students in the archaka training programme at the Parthasarathy Temple. Coming all the way from Thiruvannamalai, Thiyagaraj told TNM he wanted to become a priest because he had an inclination for spirituality from a young age. When asked about the recent Madras High Court judgment disallowing government appointment of priests in agama temples, Thiyagaraj asked, “How is it (the judgment) fair? We are also being trained to perform pujas in agama temples. This judgment does not consider students like us from other castes who are undergoing training now.”
Vinoth, a Backward Caste (BC) student who had come from his village in Tenkasi to study here, echoes the sentiments of Thiyagaraj. “We follow all the rules expected of a person while receiving the archaka training. Besides, not every priest in every temple knows everything. We are all learning. If we are qualified enough, why should we not become priests in agama temples,” asked the 24-year-old, who used to assist the priest in his village temple during festivals and special pujas on pournami (full moon) days.
While the students say that the selection process to be a part of the training centres is not too exclusive, the time between submitting the application and confirmation of their admission is rather long. “I was in the third year of my engineering degree when I received the confirmation of admission here,” Vinoth said. “I was very confused if I should leave my degree halfway. But in the end, I decided to come here. Because of this delay, many people do not come for the training. They believe that a degree would give them a better future.”
While both the students say that they have not faced any discrimination from Brahmin priests in the temple, they believe that one year of training might not be enough. “Brahmins who are born into a lineage of temple priests can train for 10 or even 15 years, as they start training from their childhood. They will obviously have more experience. But that is not the case for people like us. We have to learn everything within one year. We would not mind another additional year of training,” Vinoth said.
Thiyagaraj concurred. “If I have been hearing these mantras ever since I was a child, it would have been different. But when I am suddenly expected to learn these things in an environment I am not familiar with, it is going to take time for me to settle in. By the time that happens, half a year is almost done. So one year is definitely not sufficient,” he pointed out.
The students say that the training centre in Chennai has the lowest number of students among all the others, so the teachers are currently giving them only basic training in hopes that more students will join. When asked why their centre has the lowest number of students, Vinoth cited the distance as the main reason. “I too had second thoughts initially, because it would take 16 hours to travel from my hometown to Chennai,” he said. Implicitly, both Thiyagaraj and Vinoth mentioned that people are also afraid of the caste discrimination they might face in a place like the Parthasarathy Temple. “I think many people are afraid that they might be humiliated, especially in front of a crowd, which explains why they might be hesitant. We too have the fear that something like this might happen to us. But if we do not come here and train to be priests, there is no hope for the next generation,” Thiyagaraj added.
The students at the training centre in the Parthasarathy Temple are expected to get deekshai (initiation to become a priest) even before their training is complete. In fact, they have been told by the priests that they can enter the inner sanctum only if they get deekshai, the students say. But here’s the catch. If a person gets deekshai in a Perumal temple, they can perform pujas only in Perumal temples, which are not too many in Tamil Nadu. “After our training, if we are appointed in Perumal temple, this would be okay. But if we do not get an appointment, or are assigned to a temple that is not dedicated to Perumal, we will not be able to do pujas there. Our future becomes uncertain. So we are trying to postpone the deekshai as much as possible, but there is immense pressure from the priests in the temple,” Thiyagaraj said.
Vinoth believes that if it is compulsory to get deekshai even before the training is complete, people will hesitate to even get training in these temples. “In case I do not get appointed to a temple run by the government, I can always go back to the temple in my hometown and serve as a priest. But if I get deekshai here, I cannot become a priest there because it is an Amman temple,” he added.
When asked what the future would look like after they have finished their training, Thiyagaraj said, “We are not sure if they (Brahmin priests) will allow us to work. The government will appoint us, but if any problem arises, we will have to face it. If they appoint us in agama temples, we will be happy. Even if things are difficult for us, it would make things easier for the people who come after us. The people who come after us will not be as afraid as we are.”
When the DMK government introduced the archaka training scheme in 2006, the move was hailed as revolutionary. Many claimed that the mul (thorn) in the heart of revolutionary social reformer Periyar had been removed, as it was Periyar who led the protests in 1959 to ensure that members of all castes could become priests. However, the 2022 judgment in the case has led to dissatisfaction amongst activists and political leaders across the state. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president and MP Thol. Thirumavalavan said that he had initially welcomed the judgment, but after understanding its nuances, he felt that it solidified the caste hierarchy instead of abolishing it. While speaking at an event in Chennai on September 8, he added, “The agama is not greater than the Indian Constitution. The agamas cannot come in the way of personal liberties. This judgment aims to divide temples on the basis of their income yielding capacities. The ones that are most profitable will be sold to the Brahmins and private players, while the public will get the rest.”
While the government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin appointed 24 non-Brahmin priests last year, the leader of the Archaka Students Union Ranganathan said that they were not able to perform pujas for more than a single day. Speaking to TNM, Ranganathan said, “Almost all of the priests faced severe harassment from the Brahmin priests in the temples they were appointed to, including being forced to clean the bathrooms of those priests. They were humiliated to a point where they did not want to serve as priests anymore, and were on the verge of quitting. Five of them even resigned. We had informed the Chief Minister of this. He then personally called all Brahmin priests of the temples from where the priests resigned, the District Collectors and the temple authorities concerned, and strictly said that the resigned priests must be able to continue their work without any disturbances. Only after that did these priests go back to their temples and were able to do their duties.”
While the government has re-introduced the archaka training scheme, which was fought for by Periyar and initiated by Karunanidhi, there have been numerous problems in its implementation. Most of these issues, however, seem to rise from the fact that this scheme challenges centuries of Brahminical hegemony over priesthood in temples. The real test for the Stalin government would be to ensure that the training programme produces more non-Brahmin priests, appoint them in all temples under the HR&CE, and to ensure that they are able to do their duties without any hindrance.
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