Ayodhya: 3,000 apply for post of priests at Ram temple, 20 to be selected after interviews

As Ayodhya gears up for the grand consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla temple in January 2024, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has begun other processes including the appointment of priests for the temple.

Reportedly, about 3,000 candidates applied for posts of priests at the Ram temple in Ayodhya after the Ram Mandir Teerth Kshetra Trust advertised vacancies. Of these, 200 candidates were selected for interviews on the basis of merit, PTI reported citing an official.

The 200 candidates who have been selected are facing interviews at Karsevak Puram, the Vishva Hindu Parishad's (VHP) headquarters in Ayodhya.

The three-member interview panel comprises Hindu preacher from Vrindavan, Jaykant Mishra, and two mahants from Ayodhya -- Mithilesh Nandini Sharan and Satyanarayan Das. A total of 20 candidates will be selected eventually.

The candidates who will be selected will be appointed as priests and deployed in different posts after six months of residential training. Those who are not selected will attend the training and be given certificates, Govind Dev Giri, the trust treasurer, told PTI.

Furthermore, they will also have the chance to be called for the posts of priest that may be created in the future, he added.

Candidates were asked different set of questions like -- What is 'Sandhya Vandan' , what are its procedures and what are the 'mantras' for this worship? What are the 'mantras' for worshipping Lord Ram and what are 'karma kand' for this?

The training will be based on the religious syllabus prepared by top seers. During the training, the candidates will get free fooding and lodging and given Rs 2,000 as stipend.

In October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited by Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Trust for the inauguration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024. The development was shared by the Prime Minister on X (formerly Twitter).

"Jai Siya Ram! Today is a day full of emotions. Recently, the officials of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had come to meet me at my residence. He has invited me to come to Ayodhya on the occasion of the consecration of Shri Ram Temple. I feel very blessed. It is my good fortune that in my lifetime, I will witness this historic occasion," PM Modi posted on X.

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