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Kerala gets women priests in temples

D Jose in Thiruvananthapuram

Yet another male bastion fell the other day, when four women were appointed priests in two Hindu temples in Kodungalloor and Thiruvananthapuram.

Thus far, the temple's sanctum sanctorum has been considered the exclusive domain of male priests -- this latest move, thus, has stirred up quite a dust in the circles of Hindu orthodoxy.

The women priests won early points in the battle by performing the rituals in prescribed fashion, with no hitches. Interestingly, the two temples that have taken the bold move are both run by the Mata Amritanandamayi Ashram.

Soumayamritha Chaitanya and Nalini, both in their late twenties, said they were ecstatic about being allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum. "I had expected some troubles from the conservative sections, but so far no one has complained," said Soumyamritha who joined the ashram 10 years ago after completing her teacher's training.

The absence of complaint, however, cannot be construed as acceptance of the move. Sudheer Krishnan, a regular visitor to the temple, is an example of the simmering discomfort in the minds of traditionalists. How, Krishnan wondered, can women be appointed without consulting religious pundits and flouting tradition? Priesthood, Krishnan pointed out, is taboo for women in Kerala since it follows the Agamic rules which reserve the honour for men.

The main objection seems to be the lack of precedent. Until the four young women broke the mould recently, no woman has ever entered the sanctum sanctorum of temples in Kerala, though some women, given the matriarchal nature of society in Kerala, have taken over their family temples in their old age.

Predictably, menstruation -- seen in religious circles as an "unclean" period -- is one basis for objection to the ordaining of women priests. Authorities in the two temples, however, wave the question aside, pointing out that this is precisely why four women have been appointed -- so that each can keep away for four days in a month, during their menstruation.

Interestingly, if the likes of Krishnan seemed ill at ease worshipping in a temple under the aegis of women priests, devotees from the distaff side go to the other extreme. Soumayamritha said that the number of women devotees visiting the shrine after the appointment of female priests was on the increase and, further, that the women devotees appeared far more at ease discussing their problems with priests from their own sex.

Will this mean that men worshippers will decrease? No, Soumayamritha said, pointing out that the men, too, appeared to be adjusting rapidly to the change.

All four newly ordained priestesses have undergone intensive training in Vedanta, temple rituals and the Sanskrit language for three years. Swami Nadamritha Chaitanya, head of the Amritanandamayi ashram at Thiruvananthapuram, said they have been fully equipped to conduct all the poojas as per the modern requirements.

Interestingly, the rites at the Amritanandamayi temples have been considerably simplified, and the idols modified. As it stands, the idols have Shiva, a goddess, Ganapati and Rahu sculpted on the four sides of a single stone, each facing a different direction to symbolise, according to Swami Nadamritha, the unity that underlies all diversity and also the idea of one god manifesting through different forms.

Asked about the appointment of women priests, Swamy Nadamritha said that Mata Amritanandamayi was a firm believer in gender equality.

Amritanandamayi, revered as divine by millions of followers, was born in a poor fisherman's family at Kollam in September 1953. As of today, her ashram has branches and centres throughout India and abroad, including the United States, Britain, Japan and France. The organisation has eight temples at Kodungaloor, Madras, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune, Kozhikode, Madurai, Bombay and Delhi.

New temples are being built at Talasseri, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Mananthavady and also at the Reunion Islands.

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