AP temple celebrates womanhood

By S.N.V. Sudhir

Devipuram (Visakhapatnam): In the temple complex of Devipuram, womanhood is celebrated in more ways than one. The mother goddess is the central deity of the temple and more importantly, the priests are mostly women. These young women, who have chosen priesthood as their vocation, vouch that they feel empowered after studying the scriptures. They have had rigorous training in the Vedas and have been systematically taught all the duties and rights of priests. “There is nothing wrong with women becoming priests,” says Swami Amruthananda of Devipuram. “They have been taught all the mantras.”

The swami points out that Goddess Gayatri or Adi Mata is the deity of the Vedas and this itself gives an indication of the importance of womanhood. “There are no taboos in imparting Vedic knowledge to women or making them priests,” he says. In all, 16 girls from the surrounding villages have completed training and have become adept in the major rituals, Rudram, Smartham, and Shakti Pooja, which are used to conduct pujas for the goddesses, Shyama and Varahi. Apart from conducting daily rituals, the women priests also teach other young women and girls what they have learnt. “This is a revolution of sorts,” says Mr K. Prakasam, an old timer of Devipuram.

“This is the first time that such a thing has happened.” Mr K. Prakasam adds that the young women were performing their task with utmost sincerity and this had earned them the praise of the villagers. Further, the young women have come in from different communities and there is no caste discrimination in choosing them. “I am very happy at this chance,” says Ms Lakshmi, 16, one of the students. “I have always wanted to learn mantras and chant them. It was tough in the beginning, but now it is easy.” Another aspiring priestess, Ms Poornima, sees it as another extension of the concept of equal opportunity.

“We should shed taboos which prohibited women from such tasks,” she adds. Swami Amruthananda says the move has evoked more appreciation than criticism. He is also planning to start a Vedic school exclusively for women where they would be taught scriptures and fine arts such as music and dance.