BENGALURU: Karnataka is taking a leaf out of its neighbour Kerala’s book in appointing Dalit priests in temples. A batch of candidates from the community have enrolled at the Agama Shalas run by the Muzrai department, which will certify temple priests and, if they clear the course, they will serve as priests at temples coming under the department.
Around 38 Agama Shalas have been set up across the state and applicants aged between 18 and 40 can enroll for the five-year Agama Shastra course. Candidates will have to clear the Pravara, Praveena and Vidhwath modules before they finish the course.
While applications from Dalit candidates have been allowed for some time now, there were no applications for the first few years, officials said.
“All these years, mostly members of the Brahmin community as well as others would enroll. Maybe it was the initial hesitation or societal pressure. However, we now have a few students who are studying the course,” a senior official from the Muzrai department said.The state government has repeatedly said that it welcomes people of all castes to work as priests in temples.
Speaking to Express, Muzrai minister Rudrappa Lamani said that at the recent Dharma Sansad in Udupi, many seers had welcomed dalits into temples. “All these years, dalits were treated as untouchables. When the religious leaders can take a step forward, we, as a secular government, will take two steps more. Those who offer puja at temples will be seen as Agama Shastra pandits and not from any caste.”
The Muzrai department, which manages over 34,000 temples, has around 1.2 lakh priests working there. Unlike other government departments, there is no call for recruitment here.
“Vacancies are created due to death of a priest or due to old age. There is no reservation for applicants from the SC/ST/OBC communities as there were no applicants all these years. In some temples, the post of the priest is held by a single family but now we are seeing that younger people are unwilling to take up the job. This also creates vacancies. The basic qualification for being a priest is the Agama Shastra certification,” said the official.
Priests in smaller temples coming under the department do not get a salary but depend on the donations offered by devotees. In bigger places of worship like the Kollur Mookambika temple, Kukke Subrahmanya temple and others, a part of the Seva charges collected for performing various rituals is reserved for the priests.