Nine priests shortlisted for Sabarimala
Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple. (Photo: DC)
Kochi: Lots will be drawn on Saturday to select the next Melshanti of the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple. The Travancore Devaswom Board has shortlisted nine priests for the post of Melsanthi at the Ayyappa temple and five for the Malikappuram Devi temple on the basis of a personal interview.
A committee chaired by the head of the Pandalam royal family, Valiyaraja Revathi Tirunal P.Rama Varma Raja, has nominated grandchildren Sourav Varma and Poornasri Varma as child nominees for drawing the lots at Ayyappa and Malikappuram temples respectively.
While Sourav is a class-three student of Tripunithura NSS Higher Secondary School, Poornasri is also in class three at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kadavanthra.
The Ayyappa temple reopened on Friday evening for the five-day monthly rituals of the Malayalam month of Thulam. Melsanthi P.N. Narayanan Namboodiri opened the sanctum sanctorum at 5.30 pm and the rituals began with Thantri Kandararu Rajeevararu performing the ‘Ashtadravya Ganapati homom’.
Sahasrakalasabhishekom, Kalabhabhishekom, Padipuja, Udayasthamanapuja, Asthabhishekom, and Pushpabhishekom will be the important rituals to be held from Saturday. The temple will be closed after Athazhapuja and harivarasanam in the evening of October 22.
The new melshanti would take charge with the start of the Mandala Pooja season on November 16 for the next one year.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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