KOLKATA -โข A historic shiftโฃ unfolded this week as women priests took the leadโ in Durga Puja celebrations at multiple pandals across the globe, marking a significant departure from centuries-old tradition. The unprecedented โinvolvement โฃofโฃ female clergy, observed in locations ranging from Kolkata to the united States and the United Kingdom, signals a growing movement challengingโ gender norms within Hinduism.
Forโ generations, Durga โฃPuja, the ten-day festival โขhonoringโค the goddess Durga, has been โalmost exclusively officiated by male Brahmins. This year’s โขevents represent aโค watershed moment,fueledโฃ by increasing advocacy for gender equality and a โขdesire toโ broaden access to religious leadership. The โฃchange impacts โdevotees worldwide, possibly reshaping the future โขof the festival and sparking โwider โขconversations about โฃinclusivity in religious practices. Organizers anticipate continued momentum for femaleโ participation in subsequent years, with several groups already planning for expanded roles inโค 2025.
The most prominent exampleโค unfolded at the Dum Dumโข Park Sarbojanin Durga Puja in Kolkata, where โขa team of women โpriests, trained by the West Bengal government, conducted the rituals.This followed a state-sponsored initiative โtoโ train women in conventional priestly duties, aiming to empower them โandโ address the historical exclusion of women from religious leadership roles. Rudra Narayanโฃ Chakraborty,โ a member of the pujaโ committee, โstated, “We wanted to show that women are โequally capable of performing theโ rituals and connecting with the divine.”
Similar scenes played out โขinternationally. In the UK,the North โคLondon durga Puja โฃCommittee featured female priests for theโฃ first time,while in the US,several Bengali associations incorporated women into their ceremonial proceedings. These developments were met with widespread approval from devotees, many of โขwhomโค expressed enthusiasmโค for the inclusive approach.
The move โisn’t without its critics.Some traditionalists maintain that the scriptures โmandate male priests, but proponents โคargue that the spirit ofโ the goddess Durga, a powerful female deity, inherently โsupports female leadership.The West bengal โฃCommissionโ for Women has actively supported the initiative, viewing it as a โขstep towards greater gender โขparity. โThe increasing visibility of women priests โขduring Durga โPuja is โexpectedโ to โฃinspire further dialog and potentially pave the way for broader acceptance of female โฃclergy in othre Hindu traditions.