purohit

Purohit is a Hindu priest who serves as a family priest or ritual officiant, typically engaged for rites of passage, domestic worship, and temple ceremonies. The term comes from Sanskrit puruhita, traditionally explained as “the one placed before” or “the officiant,” indicating a priest who presides over rituals on behalf of a household or community.

Role and duties: A purohit consults the family on ritual matters, prepares the calendar of rites, and conducts ceremonies such as naming ceremonies (namakarana), thread ceremony (upanayana), marriage (vivaha), and other samskaras; performs daily puja, yajna or homa, and funeral rites. They recite and explain Vedic mantras and supervise ritual purity, materials, and offerings. In many households, the purohit also provides guidance on dharma and religious observance and may supervise temple ceremonies if assigned.

Training and organization: Historically, purohits are often Brahmins or members of other priestly communities who are trained in Vedic recitation and ritual procedures. Many belong to hereditary lineages or families (gotras) and pass on the role from one generation to the next. They can serve a single family or operate through temples or priestly associations.

Regional variation: The term is widely used across India and Nepal, particularly in North, West, and central regions, with regional variants in Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, and other languages. It is distinct from a pandit (scholar) or pujari (temple priest) and from the broader monastic priesthood, though overlaps occur in practice.