Appointing non-brahmin priest at temple: M K Stalin gives credit to M Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: Four months after the state government appointed a non-brahmin priest at the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, DMK working president M K Stalin tweeted, "After several struggles, the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple has appointed a priest from the backward class. It is a huge victory for Karunanidhi, who converted Periyar's dream into law. It's a historical achievement for the Dravidian movement."

It was in 2006, when M Karunanidhi was chief minister, an ordinance was promulgated allowing non-brahmins to be trained in priesthood and hired by temples managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department. The DMK government opened six archaka training centres (four for Vaishnava temples and two for Shiva temples) in various parts of Tamil Nadu in 2006-07.

The non-brahmin archaka (priest) association, however, said they will consider it a victory only if government recruited the remaining 206 archakas who passed out of the training programme in 2007-08.

The Meenakshi Amman temple priest was appointed in February 2018, after five candidates, including brahmins, were interviewed, said an official source. The government kept the news under wraps. Even the higher officials from HR&CE department were not aware of the development. "I have been getting a number of phone calls inquiring about the appointment. I am not aware of the appointment and it has not taken place in the temples under my purview," said an official.

A total of 207 archakas passed out from the first batch. The ordinance was, however, challenged in the Supreme Court by the Adi Saiva Sivachariyargal Nala Snagam and the Thennindia Thirukkoil Archagargal Paripalana Sabhai. The matter was under the consideration of the Supreme Court, which said each temple should follow its own agamas in this matter.