Women Priests = Women Deities

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Women trained in Agama Sastra → 'Priests'

Tamil Nadu minister in charge of Hindu temples’ administration Sekar Babu


WOMEN trained in ‘Agama Sastra’ – the manual for worship and rituals at temples – can be appointed as temple priests - would be a revolutionary change in the Indian Context of temple tradition.

[The "Agama Shastra"- see the end of article.]

Tamil Nadu Minister noted that the " government would consider it and make all arrangements if women trained in Agama Sastra want to take up the role of temple priests.

After taking into account the criteria, their expertise in Agama tradition without any gender discrimination would be revolutionary.

When asked about the social acceptance of such an idea, the minister stated that they would consider all of those dimensions and other practical details, such as “five-day leave for women” to minimise rituals during menstruation.

Madras High Court Rulings related to these similar ideas:-

In 2008, the Madras High Court had in an order allowed a Women Priest to conduct pujas in a temple after her father, a priest, died.

                Pinniyakkal (Women) had been performing pujas and other rituals since 2004 because her father was sick at that time. Her father died in 2006. Following an objection from an individual who staked his claim to be the hereditary priest, the villagers barred her from serving as the priest after his death. She approached Madras High Court

“Neither any provision of law nor any scheme prohibits women performing pujas in the said temple,” the High Court stated. According to the court, the argument that only a male member can be the priest has no legal or factual basis. “It is ironic that when the temple's presiding deity was a female "Amman," objections were raised to a woman performing pujas in such temples,” (Justice K Chandru)


Conclusion :

In the context of Tamil Nadu, Women are not prohibited from serving as priests in non-Agama temples, so allowing women to serve as priests in Tamil Nadu would not be difficult. Smaller temples built in the last few hundred years, except for those built-in very older periods as per the Agama Sastra, are not Agama temples, even though they may seek guidance from larger temples.




Agamas: The word Agama means 'that which has come to (us)' as revealed knowledge, these texts are called manuals of divine worship. The Agamas neither accepts or rejects the Vedas, however Agamas use the revealed knowledge of Vedas (e.g. mantra) when applicable for appropriate practices. To understand Agama and Tantra, we need to dive little deeper.

There are three types of Agamas.

  1. Vaishanava Agamas – worship and regard Vishnu as the supreme
  2. Shaiva Agamas – worship and regard Shiva as the supreme
  3. Shakta Agamas – worship and regard Divine Mother (Shakti) as the supreme


Reference :
Indian Express   
t.ly/2bSp


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