Priests training at TTD concludes

Tirupati: The 19th batch of Archaka training taken up by the TTD concluded in SVETA building here on Monday. The training programme taken up by TTD in August last year aims to provide training to select persons belonging to SC, ST and fishermen communities in performing temple rituals.

All Projects Special Officer of TTD, N Muktheswara Rao, who attended the valedictory session said that the training programme was taken up to provide qualified persons to act as priests in the temples located in weaker section colonies to give the much-needed fillip to the temple activities.

He wanted the priests to expand their role for the propagation of Sanathana Hindu Dharma. The Endowments department with the financial support from the TTD has taken up construction of temples in weaker section habitations in the state including fishermen colonies in the coastal areas, tribal hamlets, in interior places and SC villages as part of its propagation activities to help to retain the weaker section in Hindu faith. 

The trained priests will be employed in the 500 temples. TTD Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad (HDPP) to which the conduct of the training programme has been entrusted prepared the training course and engaged 15 faculty persons with Chenchu Subbaiah as course coordinator for imparting training in temple rituals.

Later, all the 29 persons, who successfully completed the training were given puja items, lamination photo of Lord along with the certificate. HDPP secretary Ramana Prasad was also present.