Women can be priests: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin

History has changed, M.K. Stalin, the DMK party president, has been chosen as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the first time. After he took the oath as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on 7 May 2021, he also launched multiple schemes for the betterment of people. One of them is that women will be appointed as temple priests soon in Tamil Nadu.

P.K Sekar Babu, Minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments said, “If women wish to work as priests in the temple, training will be provided to them and efficient steps will be taken after the training to appoint them as priests.”

Sekar Babu has also said that the ‘All-Caste Archaka’ scheme would soon be implemented in Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments temples all across the state.

The Minister has also promised that within 100 days of the DMK government, the ‘All-Caste Archarka’ scheme will be implemented. Sekar Babu has also mentioned that the talks regarding the issue is underway with CM Stalin.

While talking to the media, the Minister added, “We have discussed various plans to be implemented for the temples and its administration. These plans would be implemented in three phases: plans that need to be implemented immediately and those required to be enforced during the second and third phases. Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin will make appropriate announcements for these plans to be implemented.”

Sekar Babu also said that in the upcoming days, non-Brahmin priests will be appointed in the Brahmin dominated temples. He has also assured that nearly 200 eligible non-Brahmin priests will be appointed in Brahmin dominated temples within 100 days of the DMK Government. As a measure to bridge the caste hierarchy among the Hindus in Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments temples across Tamil Nadu, the former Chief Minister and DMK President Karunanidhi’s government had launched a one-year junior Saiva archakar courses in six temples across Tamil Nadu in 2007-2008. It was started to give any non-Brahmin Hindu opportunities to become a priest.