MADURAI: Three more non-Brahmin priests (archakars) have been appointed at temples run by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department.
It was in February 2018 that Tamil Nadu's first government-trained non-Brahmin archakar T Marichamy from Mochikulam, belonging to a backward community, was appointed as priest at Ayyappan temple in Tallakulam, a sub-temple controlled by the management of Kallazhagar Temple in Alagarkoil.
Two years later, P Thiagarajan from Arapalayam, a government-trained non-brahmin archakar, was appointed as priest at Siddhi Vinayakar Temple in Nagamalai Pudukkottai, managed by the authorities of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple.
However, fearing backlash from Hindu outfits, their appointments were kept under wraps and were not formally announced/acknowledged during the previous AIADMK tenure.
Implementing a historic government order issued during the tenure of former DMK leader M Karunanidhi, 54 non-Brahmin priests were appointed at temples governed by the HR&CE department. At an event in Chennai on August 14, Chief Minister MK Stalin handed over the appointment letters to the 54 non-Brahmin archakars.
Accordingly, three more non-Brahmin priests have been appointed in Madurai, taking up the district’s tally to five non-Brahmin priests. The official said that following their appointment on Saturday, the two priests - B Maharajan and S Arunkumar - have been working.
One C Muthu Irulan (34), an MBC, was also appointed as the priest of Bala Dhandayuthapaniswami Temple at West Masi Street on Saturday, said sources.