In a first, three T.N. women trainees to soon become assistant priests at temples

3 women become 1st female Bhattars in TN: S. Krishnaveni, S. Ramya & Ranjitha to serve as assistant priests in Sri Vaishnava temples. Postgrad Ramya & B.Sc. Maths holder Krishnaveni joined to serve Lord . 98 archaka & 4 odhuvar trainees receive certificates from HR&CE Minister.

In a year’s time S. Krishnaveni, S. Ramya and Ranjitha will become assistant priests at Sri Vaishnava temples in Tamil Nadu, following the Pancharathra agama. They are the first three women to have undergone training as Bhattars in the State, and to have studied at the Archakar Training School run by the Sri Ranganathar Temple in Srirangam.  

A postgraduate degree holder, Ms. Ramya joined the Archakar school since she wanted to serve the Lord and also try her hand at becoming an archaka. “We have broken a male bastion and have trained to be priests. Hopefully, we will get placed at major temples so that we can get good exposure, and also learn more. We have only Chief Minister M. K. Stalin to thank for this opportunity,” she said after a tiring day of travelling back home to Mel Adhanur in Cuddalore district, from Chennai.  

The young woman had come to the city to receive their certificates from Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (Hr&CE) Minister P. K. Sekarbabu, at a function held in Chennai on September 12, 2023. “When these young woman applied for the course, we had interviewed them and found that they had the right aptitude to study and work as Bhattars. They attended the course regularly, during which time they were provided with a stipend. All the archaka trainees will get stipends during their internships too,” Mr. Sekarbabu said.  

S. Krishnaveni, who has completed a B.Sc. Mathematics degree, also joined since she wanted to serve her Lord. “My father and grandfather serve at the Mariamman temple in our village. According to the Pancharathra agama, all of us have received Dheeksha from the Mannargudi Sendalangara Jeeyar during the sixth month of our training. This agama is said to have been handed down by Lord Sri Narayana to five rishis over five nights. Neither I nor the others are worried about the pay, as we believe that the Lord will provide for us,” she said.  

A total of 98 archaka trainees and four odhuvar trainees were given their certificates at the event, in which HR&CE Special Officer J. Kumaragurubaran and Commissioner K.V. Muralidharan were also present.