About 3,000 candidates have applied for the posts of 20 priests of Ayodhya’s Ram temple. The vacancies were advertised by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which has shortlisted 200 candidates, based on merit, for interviews being held at Karsevakpuram in the temple town.
The three-member interview panel comprises Jaykant Mishra, a Hindu preacher from Vrindavan, and two mahants from Ayodhya - Mithilesh Nandini Sharan and Satyanarayan Das.
The chosen 20 will be appointed as priests at different posts in the Ram Janmabhoomi complex after six months of residential training. Those shortlisted, but not selected, will be given certificates after training and may be appointed as priests in future, said Govind Dev Giri, treasurer of the Ram Mandir Trust.
Candidates are being asked “tough questions” regarding the procedure of different pujas, during the interview. Some of these included ‘sandhya vandan’, its procedures and mantras, special mantras and ‘karma kand’ regarding the worship of Lord Ram, etc, Giri said.
The 20 candidates will go through six months of training to be held at Karsevakpuram that has offices of several Hindu organisations, including VHP. The training will be based on a religious syllabus prepared by the top seers.