Tamil Nadu is set to make history as three women are enroute to becoming priests in the state for the first time. Ranjitha, Ramya, and Krishnaveni were enrolled in the Tamil Nadu government’s ‘ananithu jaadhigalum archakar agalam’ (all castes can become priests) scheme reintroduced by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 2022. The three women were among the 94 students who completed the one year archaka (priest) training in August and were awarded certificates of completion on September 11. While the women are thrilled at the prospect of becoming the first women priests formally trained by the state, they are also aware of the long and arduous journey that lies ahead of them as priesthood has traditionally been the domain of Brahmin men.
For 23-year-old Krishnaveni, a Hindu Valluvan (classified as Scheduled Caste) woman, choosing to undergo archaka training seemed like the natural course of action since her family members have been in-charge of the local Amman temple in her hometown in Cuddalore’s Meladhanur. The BSc graduate said she was drawn to spirituality and ritualistic practices from a young age. Speaking to TNM, Krishnaveni said, “My father and grandfather have been priests at our Amman temple. Watching them, I also developed a desire to follow in their footsteps and serve the people and Perumal [Hindu deity]. When I told my parents about wanting to pursue archaka training, they were supportive and encouraged me all the way.”
Meanwhile, for Ranjitha, a woman from the Pallar community (classified as Scheduled Caste), enrolling for the archaka training course was an impulsive decision. She chose not to reveal much to anyone, even to her immediate family. The 25-year-old is a native of Tiruvallur, holds a BSc in Visual Communication, and was working in a private company in Chennai before taking the plunge.
“My family was supportive of my decision because I did not divulge the full details of what I was studying. When anyone asked what I was studying, I simply told them that it was a course related to temples offered by the HR&CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) Department,” Ranjitha said. Worried that her choice might invite snarky comments and she would be made fun of for wanting to become a ‘lady priest’ or be termed a ‘mandharavadhi’ [evil magician], Ranjitha kept her one year training under wraps until she began receiving media attention. She added, “Now that I have spoken to the media, people are calling to congratulate me. I am getting calls even from people I have not spoken to in a long time!”
A subset among minorities
The three women received training at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, which houses one of the six archaka training centres in Tamil Nadu. They trained alongside 19 other men at Srirangam. Ramya (also from the Hindu Valluvan community), who joined the training after seeing an announcement by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, said that the male dominated environment was intimidating in the beginning but she grew accustomed to it. The 23-year-old MSc graduate said, “I felt a little uneasy for two or three classes. But we had 12 teachers who were extremely encouraging and kept reminding us that we were no less than our male counterparts. Soon enough, I let go of my fears and began focusing on my work.” According to Ranjitha, Ramya went on to top the class at the end of the training.
For Krishnaveni, the lack of discrimination between men and women helped her become comfortable with what might be seen as an overwhelming number of male classmates. She said, “To be honest, I was a little uncomfortable at the beginning. But our teachers did not differentiate between us and our male classmates and this was comforting. We would sit together during classes and were treated the same way. Over time, any feeling of unease disappeared.”
Ranjitha told TNM that she had expected to see more women in her class as she had seen quite a few of them attend the interview. One of her friends who was selected along with her dropped out after three days as her in-laws wanted her to return home. Ranjitha said, “I had been expecting more women, so it was a little scary for me initially. But I told myself that I came here for a purpose and focused on my studies.”
Menstrual taboos and priesthood training
In Hinduism, menstruation is taboo and menstruating persons are considered ‘impure’. They are not allowed inside religious spaces like puja rooms in households and in temples as well. Apart from that, menstruating persons are forbidden from most religious rituals and some cultures prevent them from touching ritualistic paraphernalia. Similar rules extend to the three women who received the archaka training as well.
All three women confirmed that they do not attend classes or even study the religious material during their period. The three of them said that it was not difficult to catch up on their lessons even if they missed three to five days of classes. Krishnaveni said, “One lesson is usually taught for 15 days and revised continuously. So it was not very difficult even if we missed classes for a few days due to our period.” Ranjitha concurred, saying that since some of the lessons are in Sanskrit, there is continuous revision, which makes it easy for them to catch up even if they take a few days off.
The three women said that they would follow similar rules even after they become priests. Ramya said, “After we become priests, if we get our period in the middle of a ritual or while we are in the temple, it is beyond our control and we will finish what we were doing. But if that is not the case, we would not go to the temple before our period ends as this is expected of us.” She was also of the opinion that this break would be a welcome relief for some women who might have debilitating menstrual cramps.
What the future holds
Now that their classes are over, the students will further train for a year under senior priests in temples under the purview of the HR&CE. However, owing to past history, this might not be an easy task for the students, especially the women. The first batch of students who graduated in 2008 faced a mammoth task in undergoing training as Brahmin priests resolved that they wouldn’t train non-Brahmin archaka students. Apart from this, the students were allegedly subjected to casteist abuses from Brahmin priests when they tried to attend the saami dharisanam (worshipping the idol of a deity after it has been decorated). The students also had to pool money to get a statue sculpted to practise performing pujas, as the Brahmin priests did not allow the students to use the idols in the temples.
Read: Priest to Periyar follower: One man’s struggle to ensure caste equality in TN temples
The women, despite their jubilation on completing the training, are aware of what the future might hold. At the same time, they believe that the completion of training and subsequent appointments would pave the way for more women to follow in their footsteps, including women from Scheduled Castes. True to their belief, the next batch of students at the Srirangam training centre alone has 10 women students.
Ramya was of the opinion that when something radical is being done for the first time, it will rattle some conservatives and upset others. She said, “This is the first time women have completed the training and will go on to become priests so there will be hindrances. But we must be ready to face them and go on to become priests because we have come this far.”
Ranjitha, on the other hand, said that they will be working in an environment that is usually not associated with non-Brahmin women so there might be questions about their competence. She said, “Our appointment as priests will definitely receive more objection than men. The temple rituals, mantras, and Vedas are definitely new to use and one year is not enough to master them all. Since we will be in an environment that will have people more knowledgeable than us, our positions in these temples will definitely be questioned and even scrutinised. I made the choice to be here, so I am ready to face the challenges, come what may.”
Despite their worries, the trio is confident that the public and the government will be supportive of their initiation into priesthood. Krishnaveni said, “So far, the government and the people have always been encouraging. We hope this will continue until we serve as priests. Right now, all that we ask of the government is to facilitate an environment where we are able to perform our duties without any hindrance.”
Read: ‘Will they allow us to work?’ TN’s non-Brahmin archaka students & an uncertain future