Breaking Stereotypes, Karnataka's 17-Year-Old Girl Is Family's First Priestess

A Karnataka priestess has shattered mainstream convention to become the first woman in the role from her family of pandits. 

17-year-old Anagha Bhat is a student and now a priestess in her own right. While in India, tradition and scriptures do not keep women from priestly duties, patriarchy has silently pushed them to the sidelines for years. Citing Hindu custom now, many justify the absence of women in this field as the morally, historically right stand.

However, is the knowledge in the Vedas restricted to solely male access?

Bhat's family does not think so.

As per Times of India, Bhat belongs to a family in Dasakodi village in Mangaluru, where the male lineage - her father, grandfather - have served as purohits solemnising marriages and other ceremonies for years. Of the opinion that gender shouldn't come in the way of learning, Bhat says her family supported her in her study of the ancient texts.

Karnataka Priestess And Other Women In The Field Challenging Patriarchy

"All in our family, without exception, encouraged me to learn Sanskrit, the Vedas and become a purohit," she told the publication. Her father Sooryanarayana Bhat too impressed on the idea that gender is no bar for gaining ancient knowledge and choosing this field.

Several other women too have been defying age-old Hindu convention to claim their rightful place in the religion. A famous instance seen recently was the priestess at Dia Mirza's wedding. Sheela Atta, as the actor called her, donned in an orange saree performed the rituals at the mandap at Mirza and Vaibhav Rekhi's ceremony in February this year.

In Bengal, Nandini Bhowmik has made similar impact by being the state's first Hindu priestess. In 2018, she spoke about the patriarchy inherent in wedding customs and how she chose to solemnise weddings. "I do not perform kanyadaan as I consider the practice regressive in which women are treated as commodities," she said, adding she liked to wrap up the rituals in an hour.

Image: TOI