How are Hindus organized?
There is no strict organization or hierarchy as one would see for example in the Catholic church. There are Hindu Sangams, either as voluntary bodies or as statutory bodies which oversee the administration of the temples and make rulings on some issues, but they are not binding and are usually restricted to the geographical area in which the temple/sangam is located. Many sects have their own organization and rules. In the Sangams, the leaders are called Swamis, while in the temples, the priests are called acharya (North India) or pandaram (South India). Rituals are usually performed by the priest caste known as Brahmins.
