‘Agama training a must for women to become priests’

Puucho Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister P.K. Sekarbabu’s current remarks on the appointment of women as ‘archaka’ (priest) has triggered a debate on whether or not it may be applied in temples that comply with the Agamas.

The Minister stated women who get educated at correct faculties in accordance with the Agamas could have to move a take a look at earlier than being thought-about for appointment. But the federal government will proceed solely after a thorough dialogue with all stakeholders. “We are not going to forcefully make anyone priests,” he has stated.

(Agamas are treatises pertaining to temple development, set up of idols and conduct of worship of the principal and different deities).

The Minister instructed The Puucho on Tuesday that such appointments can be made solely in small temples and never in huge temples such because the Parthasarathyswamy temple, Triplicane, and the Vadivudai Amman temple, Thiruvottiyur. When pressed additional, he stated, “Let women come forward first.”

Notwithstanding the federal government’s inclination, specialists in regulation and temple affairs say the Supreme Court settled the difficulty of appointment of clergymen by means of its 2015 judgment in Adi Saiva Sivachariyargal Nala Sangam vs the Government of Tamil Nadu. The courtroom held that the appointment of clergymen “will have to be made in accordance with the Agamas, subject to their due identification as well as their conformity with the constitutional mandates and principles as discussed above [in the judgment]”.

A former Commissioner of the HR&CE Department stated that of the 42,000-odd temples below the Department’s management, solely 5,000 comply with the Agamas. The relaxation are non-Agama temples, the place women clergymen will be appointed. As regards the temples which are adhering to the Agamas, there aren’t any women clergymen.

Puucho Munnani State president Kadeswara C. Subramaniam urged the federal government not to intervene with the Agamas. T. Satyamurthy, former superintending archaeologist of the Archaeological Survey of India and founder-president of the Rural Education and Conservation of Heritage Foundation, stated there was no express restriction within the Agamas on using women clergymen, however the capabilities and roles of clergymen, as prescribed by the Agamas, make it nearly inconceivable for women to be clergymen. An instance is the prescription on the character of garments to be worn whereas performing rites.

However, there isn’t any bar on women being made clergymen in temples that don’t comply with the Agamas, he says, mentioning that many village temples do have women clergymen.