Ayodhya: The Ram temple trust’s decision to establish a permanent institute for training and certifying Hindu priests is being seen by religious leaders and members of the Indian diaspora as a significant step towards addressing the growing demand for qualified ‘archaks’ (priests) not only in India but also overseas.
The proposal on July 22, following a meeting of the Trust in Ayodhya, envisages a dedicated training centre, where priests will receive formal instruction in the performance of Hindu rituals before being certified by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The announcement was made by Trust interim general secretary Krishna Mohan and treasurer Govind Dev Giri.
The decision came alongside the Trust’s announcement of a nine-member committee of prominent seers to oversee the religious affairs of the Ram temple, following recent controversy surrounding alleged donation theft.
Religious leaders say the proposed institute could help standardise priestly training at a time when temples, religious institutions, and Hindu families increasingly seek priests well-versed in scriptural traditions and ritual practices.
Ram Ballabh Kunj functionary Mahant Rajkumar Das told PTI that the proposed centre would become a permanent platform for both training and dialogue.
“Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri Maharaj has said that the training centre and a centre for continuous dialogue will function on a sustained basis. There is a need for systematically trained archaks in temples, monasteries and major religious institutions across the country, whether dedicated to Goddess Bhagwati, Lord Ram or Lord Krishna,” he said.
“If such a training centre is established under the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, it will go a long way in fulfilling this requirement. The effort will be to ensure that competent priests and acharyas reach every part of the country,” he added.
The demand, however, extends beyond India’s borders.
Yashu Yadav, an Indian-origin software engineer from Haryana’s Rewari district who now lives in New York, said trained priests are increasingly required wherever Hindu communities seek to observe religious traditions in accordance with established rituals.
“There is a need for trained archaks in every religious ceremony. The availability of more trained priests will naturally benefit people who lead their lives with religious faith and wish to perform rituals in the proper manner,” Yadav said.
He said the United States has sizeable Indian communities from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and southern India that celebrate festivals such as Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Jagannath Yatra and Pongal, besides organising Satyanarayan Katha and other religious observances.
“Priests are especially needed for occasions such as housewarming ceremonies, children’s milestone celebrations, and other life-cycle rituals. A trained priest provides devotees with greater religious and social satisfaction and strengthens their faith,” he said.
Retired professor Lalit Mohan Joshi and his wife Tara Joshi, natives of Uttarakhand who are currently visiting their son Harshit and daughter-in-law Nishdha in Glasgow, Scotland, said they have not experienced any shortage of trained priests in Haldwani, where they ordinarily reside.
According to the couple, qualified priests back home in Haldwani regularly conduct religious ceremonies not only in temples but also at devotees’ homes for auspicious occasions.
Harshit and Nishdha, both corporate employees whose daughter was born a few months ago, said they recently visited Glasgow’s Om Hindu Temple for their child’s naming ceremony, where the rituals were performed according to Hindu traditions.
Harshit said he has observed “a steady increase” in the Hindu population in Glasgow and elsewhere in Britain over the past few years, but the number of trained priests has not kept pace.
He said ‘Om Hindu Temple’ remains the principal place of worship in Glasgow where devotees gather for religious ceremonies and auspicious occasions.
“In such a situation, the Ayodhya Ram Temple Trust’s initiative could prove to be an effective step. It can help ensure the availability of trained priests in the future for Hindus living abroad so that religious ceremonies are performed according to established traditions,” he told PTI.
The Trust’s initiative also reflects a broader trend in higher education, with academic institutions introducing structured courses in Hindu rituals and priestly practices.
Shri Ram Janaki Sanskrit Mahavidyalay, established in 1929 at Gauriyapur village in Kanpur Dehat, has trained thousands of religious scholars in nearly a century now and has around 500 students undergoing training in Sanskrit and traditional Sanatan rituals and worship practices.
Mahant Dev Narayan Das told PTI that while many newly trained priests were proficient in scriptures and rituals, they sometimes committed errors in the pronunciation of mantras or the sequence and methodology of performing rituals.
“Sanskar begins with Sanskrit. If they receive training from experienced teachers, scholars and accomplished priests, these shortcomings can be addressed, and the quality of religious services can be significantly improved,” he said.
Describing the Ram Temple trust’s decision to establish a priest training institute as “a commendable initiative”, Das said such an institution would help produce better-trained priests to meet future requirements and propagate Sanatan Dharma.
Banaras Hindu University, through its Faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vijnan, offers a one-year diploma course in Karmakand besides programmes in Sanskrit and astrology.
Lucknow University had also announced in 2021 a vocational course in Karmakand through its Department of Prachya Sanskrit as part of its four-year undergraduate programme.
The course was designed to impart scriptural knowledge on the performance of Hindu rites and rituals, including Sandhyopasan Vidhi, Tarpan and Balvishwadev Vidhi, while opening formal training in priestly practices to a wider section of students beyond traditional hereditary lineages.
Trust officials had said the proposed Ayodhya institute would seek to create a steady pool of trained and certified priests capable of serving temples and devotees in India and abroad, reinforcing the temple town’s emerging role as a centre for religious learning alongside pilgrimage.
