Dalit priest in Kerala opens door to temple – and change

A native of Chalakkudy in Thrissur, Krishna says, “I never felt any discrimination over caste. For the past five years, I was working as a priest at Devi Temple at Valiyakulangara in Ernakulam district. Today, when I left, many non-Dalit visitors to the temple turned emotional.”

Krishna, who is pursuing a postgraduate course in Sanskrit, is the youngest of two sons of Ravi and Leela couple, both daily wage earners. Krishna said he joined Thantra Vidya Peedam in Ernakulam at 12. “Since the age of 15, I have been working as a priest at a temple in my village.’’

Travancore Devaswom Board Commissioner C P Rama Raja Prema Prasad said the newly-recruited priests have been given 15 days’ time to join the temples allotted to them. Kerala Hindu Aikya Vedi general secretary E S Biju said that in the past, there have been protests from certain quarters against appointing Dalits as priests. “However, now there is a change in the mindset of people. The concern of the faithful is that the priests should be well-versed in temple matters and should lead a life becoming of a priest,’’ he said.