Hindu priest
A Hindu priest, used irrespective of gender, may refer to either of the following: Traditionally, priests have come from the Brahmin varna, though in various parts of India, Hindus from other communities (such as Lingayats in parts of Karnataka) have performed the function. Now, pujari have been recruited from various communities with lesser regard to caste. Hindu priests are known to perform services often referred to as "puja". Priests are identified as "pandits" or "pujari" amongst devotees. Priests were the instigating factor to why ordinary people of Hindu religion became indulged severely in a devotional path. Hindu priests  through their extended knowledge of the literature, the "Bhagavad Gita" and the "Ramayana" were able to encourage the Hindu community's devotion to Hindu deities. Responsibilities. Priests' primary responsibility is to conduct daily prayers ("puja") at the local mandir. During Hindu festivals, traditional events such as weddings, the sacred thread ceremony, performance of antyesti, and special deity-specific ceremonies, priests may be called upon to conduct pujas. In order to perform a puja, the priests are required to have prior skills and knowledge. To be a qualified priest, they must know the required chants ("mantras" and "strotas") fluently in Sanskrit  and be familiar with the materials required to perform the puja for various ceremonies and rituals. Pandits from an early age were trained to memorize hymns in order to chant them during rituals and ceremonies without aid. Receiving assistance to remember hymns and chants was historically frowned upon as priests were expected to recite the hymns through memory. Required qualifications. The required qualification to be a priest is that he or she should be a Brahmin. But the word Brahmin needs to defined carefully. Here the word Brahmin refers to qualities of brahmanas, not Brahmin "varna". In common usage however , the word Brahmin refers to a group of castes. There is no authority for the notion of the birth based caste system in authoritative Hindu scriptures. Even a person born in a "low-caste" family can become a Brahmin if he acquires the necessary knowledge and is eligible to be appointed as a priest. Daily routine. Daily routines of Hindu priests would consist of prayers as much as four to six times per day and perhaps even more. Every morning pandits are in charge of bathing the deity with water and milk, clothing the deity with traditional wear and jewellery . After conducting the rituals, the priest offers food to devotees after it has been presented in front of the god referred to as prasad. Whilst the prasad is being handed out, the priests as well as the devotees engage in singing prayers praising the deity. The priests finally conclude with an aarthi (lighted camphor) shown to the deity and held in the presence of the devotees to receive blessings. A Hindu priest would repeat this routine every day as a part of their responsibility in servicing the god. In popular culture. Films depicting characters who are Hindu priests include Akshay  Kumar's "OMG – Oh My God!" (2012). A Hindu priest was made to clear the film "Dharam Sankat Mein" (2015) for the censor board before release. In "Raanjhanaa" (2013) the protagonists father is a Hindu priest.