Tamil Nadu: 3 women become qualified priests; Stalin hails Dravidian Model

It was the maiden occasion that women enrolled and completed the course to be priests under the government-run “All-Caste Priests” scheme in Tamil Nadu.

Stalin said on X, formerly Twitter, with a tinge of pride: “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! In Tamil Nadu, as our Dravidian Model Government has removed the thorn from Thanthai Periyar’s heart by appointing people of all castes as priests, women are also now stepping into the sanctums, bringing a new era of inclusivity and equality,” he said.

Under a state programme to suitably train and appoint persons belonging to all castes as priests, the three women completed training at the Archakar (priest) Training School run by the Sri Ranganathar temple in Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli.

Reformist leader Periyar EV Ramasamy had once described not permitting non-Brahmins to perform the role of priests in temples as a "thorn" in his heart.

Already, women officiate as priests in some temples in the state. Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister PK Sekar Babu had said in 2021 that women could be appointed as priests in temples following their training. 

With agency inputs