Priests claim they are barred from the sanctum sanctorum despite legal backing and three years of service.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Two non-Brahmin priests in Tamil Nadu have alleged that they are being prevented from performing rituals inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Kumaravayalur Subramanya Swamy temple in Tiruchirapalli. The priests had sought intervention from the state government before temple’s Kumbhabhishekam (consecration ceremony).
Priests S. Prabhu and Jaipal, appointed under the Tamil Nadu government’s 2021 scheme to open priesthood to all castes, claim that hereditary Brahmin priests have limited them to performing duties in secondary temples.
In a letter addressed to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, Prabhu and Jaipal expressed their frustration.
“We were appointed by the government under a historic scheme that opened the way for all castes to become priests in temples. But since our appointment on 14 August 2021, we have not been allowed to worship in the sanctum sanctorum. Now, when the Kumbhabhishekam is scheduled to be held on 19 February, we are being completely sidelined,” they wrote.
The priests claimed that while temple devotees welcomed their presence, hereditary Shivacharyas (Brahmin priests) continued to deny them equal rights.
“This discrimination makes us feel mental agony and humiliation. How do we face our families and villagers when we are kept away from the rituals for which we were appointed?” the letter added.
The Tamil Nadu government’s 2021 initiative marked a significant break from the centuries-old Brahmin-dominated priesthood. It was seen as an extension of the Dravidian movement’s long-standing push for social justice and the elimination of caste-based discrimination in religious spaces.
However, the implementation of the policy has faced consistent opposition. According to official data, while 382 individuals, including 15 women, have completed government-certified priest training since 2022, only 29 have been appointed to temples. An additional 95 candidates are still undergoing training.
Despite these efforts, caste-based opposition remains strong in major temples across Tamil Nadu, including those in Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, and Srirangam.
V. Ranganathan, president of the Tamil Nadu Trained Archakas Association, highlighted ongoing discrimination against non-Brahmin priests across the state.
“Non-Brahmin priests appointed in the Trichy temple in August 2022 have not been allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum so far,” Ranganathan said.
He also pointed to similar instances of caste discrimination in other temples:
- At the Naganathan Swamy temple in Tiruchirapalli, local Brahmins allegedly questioned the knowledge and legitimacy of non-Brahmin priests.
- In the Tindivanam Perumal temple, non-Brahmin priests were reportedly assigned to cleaning duties and barred from performing religious rituals.
- At the Vellappillayar temple in Salem, a trained non-Brahmin priest was subjected to caste-based humiliation and prevented from performing his responsibilities.
In September 2024, the NDA ally Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) criticised the state government’s failure to protect non-Brahmin priests’ rights. PMK leader S. Ramadoss alleged that at least 10 of the 24 priests appointed under the 2021 scheme faced exclusion from the sanctum sanctorum and were relegated to menial tasks.
“The government has carried out this reform but has failed to ensure dignity and equality for these priests. Many non-Brahmin priests are still being treated like second-class members in temples,” Ramadoss said in a statement.
The Tamil Nadu Trained Archakas Sangh has repeatedly called for stronger legal measures to prevent caste-based discrimination in temples. The HR&CE department, responsible for temple administration, sought a report on these issues in September 2024, but no concrete action has been taken yet.
As the Kumbhabhishekam approaches, social justice activists and affected priests are urging the government to enforce the policy effectively and dismantle caste barriers within temple spaces.
“Our appointment should not be symbolic,” Prabhu and Jaipal wrote. “We demand that the government act now to ensure genuine equality and justice in practice, not just on paper.
