INDIA, June 23, 2002: The age-old tradition of a solely male-dominated profession is slowly giving way as more women are trained for the priesthood. In Maharashtra’s orthodox brahminical order, Pune-based Shankar Seva Samiti has trained over 7,000 women priests from all castes since its inception in 1976. In Kerala, until a few years ago, anything related to Vedic hymns and sacred ceremonies was considered the domain of the Namboodiris and the Pottis — two classes of the brahminical order. But, over the past few years, 37 non-brahmin women have become priests, due to the efforts of Gurupadam Institute of Kodungallur. In Varanasi, also, students of the Panini Kanya Mahavidyalaya are being trained in priesthood. This unique center of learning has produced a number of Sanskrit scholars and karmakandi women pundits. Presently, 70 students are enrolled, preparing for degrees from prathama to acharya. Woman priests often conduct marriages, pujas and even shradhas, funeral rites. A central reason for the women’s success is the lowering of standards among the male priests, as many qualified men opt for other employment. Suniti Gadgil, a priest based in Pune, says she performs around 15 shradha ceremonies every month besides puja and sacred thread ceremonies. Says Gadgil, “Earlier, I used to do only other rituals. but I decided to do the shradha ceremony only after no priest was available to do the shradha of my mother.”
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