ALAPPUZHA: A non-Brahmin priest, C.V. Vishnu Narayan, has to wait much longer to become the chief priest in Malikappuram and Sabarimala temples.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which dashed his dream last year, has already completed the selection process for the posts.
Narayan, a post-graduate in English literature having 20-year experience in priestly duties, had applied twice for the post. But the TDB served him a notice rejecting his application since he is not a member of the Malayala Brahmin denomination.
Narayan, melsaanthi of Pallam Subrahmanya Swamy Temple, also known as Dekshina Kaashi, said that he had not applied this year since the TDB had officially informed him last year that his application would not be accepted.
Sunil Arimanoor, public relations officer, TDB, said that the date of application for the new season had ended. The TDB has received 67 applications for Sannidanam and 47 for Malikapuram from Brahmins. The applications will be sorted out with the help of the devaswom vigilance wing and ten contestants for each temple will be selected. The draw will be held on Chingam 1 instead of Thulam as per the instruction of the High Court, he said. After the TDB rejected his application in 2017, Narayanan had appr-oached the HC which appointed K.B. Pradeep as an amicus curiae to study the matter. Pradeep said that the court was yet to take up the matter. “I can only help the court when the case comes up for its consideration,” he said.
The TDB had told the court that the posts of ‘melsaanthis’ in Sabarimala and Malikapuram were not permanent and hence only Malayali Brahmins would be considered for the posts.
Narayan said, “I tried to move the Supreme Court, but the huge fund required for the proceedings remains a challenge to me.”
He also said that the rejection of his application is a violation of the Supreme Court judgment in the N. Adhityan versus TDB case, 2002, that upheld the appointment of non-Brahmin priests to temples. The devaswom secretary had issued a directive to all devaswom board commissioners in 2014 that the appointment of priests should be conducted without considering the clan and caste of the candidate.
