New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to start a ‘training centre’ for priests in Ayodhya to cater to temples abroad. Another such centre will be opened in Faridabad to meet domestic requirements, VHP president Alok Kumar told ThePrint, adding that these centres are meant to address concerns that many ‘pujaris’ and ‘archakas’ are not well-versed in Indian scriptures and mantras required in their daily work.
While one institute will be devoted to English-speaking countries, another will cater to India, said Kumar. The move comes in the wake of a “great demand for such priests in Hindu temples abroad”, he added.
“There are a number of Hindu temples in foreign countries and at times many pujaris are not well-versed in chanting mantras or explaining the relevance of certain scriptures to our youth in a language they can understand. To begin with we will be starting two institutes, one in Ayodhya and one in Faridabad,” said Kumar.
He added that elementary computer knowledge will also be a part of the curriculum, and asserted that the idea is to train the priests so they can not only answer questions posed by devotees but also “inspire” people to visit Hindu temples regularly.
To begin with, the VHP will start with a batch of 30 students who will be essentially drawn out from Vedic Vidyalayas run by “VHP and other like-minded bodies”.
“The institute will provide a free boarding facility and pujaris trained by us will be issued certification. We are also in the process of ascertaining if there is a university or board with which we can have a tie-up. It will be a three-month-long course and teachers who have academic and practical experience will impart training,” said Kumar.
A VHP functionary told ThePrint: “Archak or pujari performs the rituals in temples, purohits are different as they perform wedding rituals. Today’s youth have a number of questions in their minds and the idea behind the training is to equip the pujaris to satisfy their queries and have complete knowledge about Hindu scriptures.” The functionary added that this is a way of connecting today’s youth to Indian culture and religion.
Another functionary said the move is aimed at ensuring that “monasteries and temples of different castes, religions and sects become centers of social awakening, religious propagation, service and harmony in the country”.
“The work of worship and priesthood should be completed as per religious rituals with pure chanting of mantras. VHP has appointed archakas across the country,” the functionary added.
“A comprehensive action plan for the training of priests has been prepared. With this, rituals and religious education will spread not only in the Indian subcontinent but also in western countries in temples and homes,” said yet another functionary.
He added: “There is a great demand for such priests in Hindu temples abroad. To fulfill this, technical training will also be given at these training programmes along with English and other languages. Every section of society, caste, creed and community will be made participants in this training programme.”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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