Devaswom Board Appoints Brahmadathan as Sabarimala Head Priest; To Take Charge on August 16
Pathanamthitta: The Travancore Devaswom Board, at its meeting held at the Board headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, has decided to appoint Brahmadathan, son of Kandararu Rajeevar, as the head priest of the Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Swamy Temple. The Board will inform the Kerala High Court of its decision on Monday. Brahmadathan is scheduled to assume charge on Chingam 1 (August 16).(sabarimalauptodate.in)
The decision follows the recommendation of a three-member expert committee comprising Akkiramon Kalidas Bhattathiripad, Tharayil Kuzhikkattu Agnisharman Vasudevan Bhattathiri, and Kadiyakkol Subrahmanyan Namboothiri, which concluded that Brahmadathan possesses the required expertise in Tantric rituals.
The committee informed the Devaswom Board President that Brahmadathan had undergone formal training in Tantra, including studies at a Tantric institution, and had also served as an assistant to his father at Sabarimala. Based on the committee's assessment, the Board took its final decision at today's meeting.
Earlier, Kandararu Rajeevaru had written to the Travancore Devaswom Board requesting that his son Brahmadathan be appointed as head priest in his place. In his letter to Board President K. Jayakumar, Rajeevar cited ill health as the reason for stepping down.
Within the Thazhamon Madom family, which holds the Tantric rights at Sabarimala, Kandararu Mohanaru and Kandararu Rajeevar have served as head priest's. Earlier, following the recommendations of the Justice Paripoornan Commission, Mohanaru was removed from the post, and his son Mahesh Mohanaru was appointed as head priest.
However, all decisions relating to Sabarimala require the approval of the Kerala High Court.(sabarimalauptodate.in)
The Board meeting also decided to carry out the remedial rites and Prayaschitta Pujas recommended in the 2018 Sabarimala Devaprasnam. The Devaprasnam had pointed out that the direction of the temple's sacred pond (Theerthakulam) was not in accordance with Vastu Shastra. Based on the findings of the Devaprasnam, the Board has decided to perform around 40 remedial rituals and Prayaschitta Pujas mentioned in the report.
The responsibility for implementing these remedial measures has been entrusted to Sabarimala Executive Officer P.S. Shanthakumar, and the Board has sanctioned ₹5 lakh for the purpose. The rituals and related activities will be carried out after consultations with Kandararu Rajeevaru, Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru, and renowned astrologer and Tantric scholar Kalidasan Bhattathiripad.