Meet these proud Women Priests Sandhyavandanam Lakshmi Devi, V Seethalakshmi, Lingambotla Vimala Kumari, Gyan Kumari Pandey, Pranaveswari, Rajeswari, Bhuvaneswari, Gnaneswari, and Chanda Vyas are all women priests (priestess) who are performing all important Hindu pujas and rituals including Shradh and Wedding Ceremonies. Sandhyavandanam Lakshmi Devi is the first woman to conduct rituals in Andhra Pradesh. She has also performed many last rites, including that of her teacher Gopadeva Sastry. V Seethalakshmi is an expert on the Vedas and not only delivers scholarly discourses, but also conducts religious ceremonies. She has been performing pujas for 25 years. She also teaches the scriptures at a centre in Hyderabad to a class of 50 women Lingambotla Vimala Kumari – Works as Upa Pradhanarchaka and supervises Laksha kumkumarchana at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Temple in Vijayawada. Gyan Kumari Pandey, 58, an astrologer and purohit, started practising professionally some 35 years ago. Pranaveswari, Rajeswari, Bhuvaneswari and Gnaneswari, all purohitas from Choutpally, Nizamabad, run a Vedic school only for girls. UK-based Chanda Vyas became the first female Hindu priest to conduct weddings in the UK. Read more about them at the New Indian Express The earliest mention of women participating in ritualistic offerings or brahmavadinis is in the Rig Veda. There were 27 brahmavadinis, who performed rituals and were also teachers. The history of priestesses is full of stories about women defying artificial limits. Time and again, they overcame obstacles, to lead, teach, counsel and inspire, often outside of official structures of authority, and usually in spite of them.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 05:55:34 +0000