Sabarimala Melsanthi Selection: Thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru to Be Excluded from the Draw
Thiruvananthapuram: Sabarimala Thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru will be excluded from the draw and interview process for the appointment of the new Melsanthi (head priest). Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President K. Jayakumar announced that Rajeevaru will not be invited to participate in the interview panel after he was named an accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case.
As per long-standing custom, the interview board for selecting the Melsanthi must include two Thantris from the Thazhamon family. Under normal circumstances, Rajeevaru would have been part of the panel. However, the Devaswom Board has decided to exclude him in view of the criminal case against him.
Earlier, Rajeevaru had written to the Travancore Devaswom Board requesting that he be relieved of his duties as Sabarimala Thantri. He also sought the appointment of his son, Kandararu Brahmadattan, in his place. The request came after Rajeevaru was named an accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case.
The interviews for the appointment of the new Melsanthi are currently underway. Although Rajeevaru was released after his arrest in the gold theft case, he has not returned to Sannidhanam or performed any duties as Thantri since then.
Under the traditional rotational system followed at Sabarimala, the Thantris take turns performing rituals during different periods of the year. At present, Kandararu Mahesh Mohanar is serving as the Sabarimala Thantri. Rajeevaru was scheduled to assume charge again from the Malayalam month of Chingam (beginning in August). However, anticipating complications arising from the criminal case, he informed the Devaswom Board that he would not continue in the post.
In his letter, Rajeevaru cited ill health as the reason for seeking to step down, stating that he was finding it difficult to perform the ritual duties of the Thantri.
The Thantri position at Sabarimala is held by members of the Thazhamon Madom family. Kandararu Mohanar and Kandararu Rajeevaru had been sharing the role under the rotational system. Later, Mohanar handed over his responsibilities to his son, Kandararu Mahesh Mohanar. Following that transition, Rajeevaru has now requested that his son, Kandararu Brahmadattan, be considered for the position in his place.