Second innings for Ezhikkode family
E N Krishnadas Namboothiri (with shawl) of Ezhikkode Mana, selected as the Sabarimala melsanthi, flanked by his brothers Vasudevan Namboothiri(right), HariNarayanan(left) and cousins at Pavakulam Mahadeva Temple in Kochi on Saturday. Krishnadas is
Kochi: E.N. Krishnadas Namboothiri, 43, of Ezhikkode Mana at Painkulam in Thrissur district, who is the new Melshanti (head priest) of the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala, is the nephew of Ezhikkode Sasi Namboothiri, who was the head priest in 2010-11.“It’s a blessing that our family again got an opportunity to serve Lord Ayyappa. Since it was the first time I’d applied for the post, I never expected a call. We’ll go to Sabarimala temple on Saturday evening and offer prayers to the deity early on Sunday itself,” Krishnadas told DC. He is the second of the three sons of the late Narayanan Namboothiri and Umadevi.
Krishnadas Namboothiri has been the head priest of the Pavakulam Mahadeva temple for the past 10 years. His elder brother Vasudevan Namboothiri is the head priest of Kodungallur Bhagavati temple and the younger one Harish Narayanan is an astrologer.It’s coincidental that just as the news reached him around 8 a.m, his elder brother arrived at the Pavakulam temple.
“I’ve informed the good news to my wife Laya but my elder son Aswin Krishna has gone to school. I want to convey the news to him at the earliest,” Krishnadas said.He has two sons, Ashwin, a class V1 student, and six-month old Anirudh.He was earlier the head priest of Guruvayur Sri Krishna temple and the Ponnu Guruvayurappan temple at Dombivli, Maharashtra.
“I think it’s also a blessing that three of our family members, Ezhikkode Sasi Namboothiri, his brother Satish Namboothiri and myself, got the opportunity to serve Lord Krishna too (ex- head priests of Guruvayur temple),” Krishnadas said. S. Kesavan Namboothiri of Cheruthala Madom at Mavelikara in Alappuzha district will be the head priest at the Malikappuram Devi temple.
Kesavan Namboothiri is currently the head priest of Tattarambalam Saraswathy temple under the Travancore Dewasom Board. “It’s the third time I have applied for the post since I became the head priest of Chettikulangara Bhagavati temple in 2006-07,” he told DC. Earlier, a draw of lots to select the head priests was held at the respective temple ‘sopanams.’
Sourav Varma and Poornasree Varma, child nominees of the Pandalam palace, drew the lots at the Ayyappa temple and the Malikappuram temple respectively.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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