Telangana Endowments Department Appoints 191 Temple Staff Across 47 Major Temples

In what the Telangana government described as a historic milestone for temple administration, Endowments Minister Konda Surekha on Friday distributed appointment orders to 191 newly recruited religious and temple service personnel at a special programme held at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad.

The recruitment drive, one of the largest undertaken by the Endowments Department, covers appointments in 47 major temples across Telangana . The selected candidates include priests, temple attendants, Vedic scholars, assistant cooks, vehicle-puja priests and traditional temple musicians skilled in instruments such as the dhol, nadaswaram, mridangam, shruti and talam.

Speaking at the event, Surekha said the appointments reflected the transparent governance of the Congress government led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the collective efforts of the Endowments Department. She noted that temples are not merely places of worship but centres of India’s cultural, spiritual and Vedic traditions.

The minister reminded the recruits that temple service is far more than a job, describing it as a sacred responsibility and a rare opportunity to serve devotees and the divine. She urged them to work with the spirit that “service to devotees is service to God” and strive to provide better services to worshippers visiting temples.

Many of the newly appointed employees, some of whom had waited years for such opportunities, became emotional while receiving their appointment orders. The recruits later felicitated the minister in recognition of the recruitment initiative.

Highlighting welfare measures for temple staff, Surekha said the government had significantly enhanced benefits provided through the “Archakas and Other Employees Welfare Fund Trust” to support priests and other employees engaged in temple services.

The minister also unveiled several future initiatives. She announced that official orders would soon be issued to organise regular spiritual discourses, religious programmes and Puranic lectures in major temples across the state. A system of special awards will be introduced to recognise outstanding performance by employees in various temple departments.

She further stated that promotions for Grade-I and Grade-II Endowment Officers had already been completed and that promotions for Grade-III officers would be taken up shortly.

In view of rainfall deficiencies linked to El Niño conditions , Surekha announced that Varuna Yagnas would soon be conducted in temples across Telangana, with prayers for abundant rainfall, prosperity and public welfare. Reaffirming the government’s focus on spiritual tourism and religious heritage, she said the state had successfully organised the Saraswati River Pushkaram and would make elaborate arrangements for future Godavari and Krishna Pushkarams . She also promised major improvements to infrastructure at the Medaram Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara venue.

The programme was attended by Principal Secretary Shailaja Ramaiyer , Endowments Director Hanumantha Rao , Brahmin Welfare Parishad Chairman Basavaraju Srinivas and other senior officials.