The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is set to start a special school in Ayodhya where ‘pujaris’ and ‘archaks’ (priests) will be trained especially to work in temples in foreign countries.
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Another special school will also come-up in Faridabad where elementary English and computer will be taught to the priests so that they can engage and gel well with the new generation and make them learn Indian culture and rituals of ‘Sanatan Dharma’.
Students of a Veda Patasala, at Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. File photo | Photo Credit: M. Srinath
Confirming about the two special schools, VHP president Alok Kumar told The Hindu that the move came after people from the Hindu community expressed concern over not getting priests in temples in foreign countries who are well-versed in ‘vedas’ and ‘purans’ and can recite verses from Hindu religious texts.
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“This was a matter of concern as Hindus are living in almost every country and the community has also set up temples in their respective regions. Its the duty of a priest to inspire people to follow their religion and for this, the priests have to know the language spoken by the audience. Hence this special school will help us in training priests who can gel up with young devotees and solve their doubts in both spiritual and scientific way,” said Mr Kumar.
“There is a great demand for trained priests in Hindu temples abroad,” Mr Kumar added.
As per the plan, the first batch of 30 students who will be essentially drawn out from ‘Ved Vidyalayas’ run by ‘VHP and other like minded bodies’ will start sometime around Deepavali.
The VHP is in the process of collaborating with a government accredited university to issue certification to the priests who will be trained by the VHP in the two special schools which will also offer boarding facilities to the students. No fees will be charged from the students in the two special schools which will also help the students to get jobs in other countries.
Published - August 06, 2024 01:44 pm IST
