pujari

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{{Short description|Designation given to a Hindu temple priest who performs puja}}

File:Puja, a ritual prayer ceremony India.jpg, India.]]

Pūjari is a designation given to a Hindu temple priest who performs pūja. The word comes from the Sanskrit word "पूजा" meaning worship. They are responsible for performing temple rituals, including pūjā and aarti. Pujari are mainly drawn from the Hindu Brahmin and Billava{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t6gm2K6VMwAC&dq=vaidya+title+billava&pg=PT155 | title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Volume I of VII | isbn=9781465582362 | last1=Thurston | first1=Edgar | date=28 September 2020 }}{{Cite web|title=The Role of Archakas, Temple Priests, in Hinduism|url=https://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/the-role-of-archakas-temple-priests-in-hinduism.asp|access-date=2021-04-08|website=www.hinduwebsite.com|language=en-us}}{{Cite news|date=2019-11-11|title=A pujari is merely an appointee of a shebait: Supreme Court|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/a-pujari-is-merely-an-appointee-of-a-shebait-sc/article29947128.ece|access-date=2021-04-08}}