Non-Brahmin woman priest performs puja in Maharashtra
In a historic departure from the well-established tradition of patriarchy and casteism, a low-caste non-Brahmin woman priest on Friday performed puja at the nine century-old Vitthal-Rukmini temple at Pandharpur in Solapur district of western Maharashtra.
Being seen as a landmark event, Friday’s development – which saw Urmila Bhate (52) perform puja to the lord Vitthal’s consort in the temple Rukmini – was a consequence of a January 15, 2014 ruling of the Supreme Court, which had stripped the Barve-Bapat brahmin
families of their ancestral right to appoint priests and keep the donations with them.
Another female priest Hema Ashtekar assisted Bhate in performing the puja at the temple, which attracts over one crore pilgrims in a day. During the Hindu month of Ashaadh, lakhs of Warkaris and other pilgrims from various parts of Maharashtra trek their way to the temple, located on the bank of Bhima river.
The Barve-Bapat families of Pandharpur, which claimed ancestral rights over the institution, had not only — over the years — controlled the appointment of priests at the temple, but they also used to corner the donations received by the devotees visiting the place.
However, after the apex court broke the monopoly of the Barve-Bapat families over the priesthood of the temple through its historic verdict in January this year, the Vitthal Rukmini Temple Trust (VRTT), headed by senior politician Annasaheb Dange, invited applications for appointment of priests.
In all, the VRTT received 199 applications from Dalits, Malis and Marathas.. Of them, 129 – including 16 women — appeared for the interviews. Among those interviewed, the temple appointed ten persons as the priests. The appointed priests comprise persons from various communities, including Brahmins and non-Brahmins. Among the priests appointed are Urmila Bhate and Hema Ashtekar.
Talking to media persons after performing the puja at the Vitthal-Rukmini temple, Urmila Bhate said: “Hema Ashtekar and I were extremely happy when we came to be appointed as a priests at the temple. It is a privilege for a woman like me to perform puja to presiding goddess Rukmini and that too for the first time in the history of the temple. My fellow female priest and I performed the puja at the temple in a most dedicated manner today”.
Urmila, who hails from Pandharpur town itself, is well-versed in the puja rites.
Till 1950, the Pandhapur temple was out of bounds for “untouchables” despite the fact that a large number of saints in Maharashtra come from Dalit and other communities. It was only renowned social reformer Sane Guruji, supported by those involved in the Gandhian movement, resorted to fast-unto-death that the temple management opened the doors of the temple to all worshipping communities.