What Is the Name of a Hindu Priest?

By Staff WriterLast Updated April 02, 2020

A Hindu priest is called a pujari and his main duty is to perform worship services, which are known as puja. Hindu priests also conduct various rites of passage for community members.

Community members address a priest with the term “pandit,” which means a “learned person,” and the priests are also called or named “purohit.” All Hindu priests have to respect strict rules regarding purity when they perform rituals in the temple in order to retain its sanctity. The majority of Hindu priests are men, but there are some groups that accept women as well. Priests whose main function is education are called brahmanas.