Maya Devi, a woman in her eighties, was on track to create history when she was appointed head priestess of the renowned Radha Rani temple in Barsana, which is located 47 kilometres from Mathura. No other woman had ever held this position before. But her problems began right when she was appointed as the first female priest there in May.
She is currently caught up in a vicious court battle and a family power struggle over who is entitled to serve as the priest at the 400-year-old temple, which is regarded as the second-most significant place of devotion in the Mathura area after the Banke Bihari Temple. The resolution of this difficult but crucial conflict may either transform the region's ingrained customs and male priests' dominance, or it may push women backwards.
Mathura Radha Rani Temple Female Priest
Maya Devi states while sitting on a chair and donning a basic white saree, "I am a woman and there is no one in my family, that's why it is easy to target me." She is carrying out her duties in place of her late husband, Harivansh Lal Goswami, who passed away in 1999. Maya Devi is his second wife. Since he was childless, Maya Devi received full ownership of the rights to offer prayers at the temple. She was, however, immediately referred to as a fraud by Harivansh Goswami's extended family after she started working at the temple.
Her late husband's nephew, according to family members, is the legitimate heir to the office, and they have filed a lawsuit alleging that she has acted hastily to take the position by lying.
Although a few women serve as priests in some southern states like Karnataka and Kerala, it is still uncommon in the north. Male priests are concentrated in the temple city of Mathura. MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, stated last year that women and non-Brahmins who received priestly education should be appointed to positions in temples.
Suggested Reading: Amid Hijab Protest, Iranian Sisters’ Persian Version Of Bella Ciao Goes Viral, Win Hearts