Five short-listed for Sabarimala Melsanthi

By Our Staff Reporter

PATHANAMTHITTA, OCT. 2. The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has short-listed five priests for the draw-of-lots to select the Melsanthi (Purappeda Santhi) at the Sabarimala Ayyappa shrine for the next one-year term after a preliminary interview held at the TDB headquarters the other day.

According to the TDB sources, there were 50 applicants for the post of Sabarimala Melsanthi and 24 others for the Melsanthi post at the Malikappuram Devi temple.

The interview board comprising the Sabarimala Tantri, Sri Kantaru Rajeevaru, the TDB president, Mr. V.G.K. Menon, the members, Mr. D. Sasidharan and Mr. Charupara Ravi, and the Devaswom Commissioner, Mr. C.P. Nair has prepared a list of five eligible priests for the draw-of-lots to be held at Sannidhanam on October 17.

Mr. V.P. Sambhu Namboodiri, Mr. S. Eeswaran Namboodiri, Mr. K. Parameswaran Namboodiri, Mr. A. Sasikumar Namboodiri, and Mr. D. Narayanan Namboodiri are the five priests short-listed.

Mr. K. Parameswaran Namboodiri, Mr. P.M. Kirathanunni Namboodiri, Mr. N. Madhava Sharma and Mr. K. Krishnan Namboodiri are the four shortlisted for the Melsanthi at the Malikappuram Devi Temple for the next one-year term beginning November 16.

The draw-of-lots will be held at the sopanam of the Ayyappa shrine on October 17 morning, after the Usha pooja on the first day of the Malayalam month of Thulam.

The new Melsanthi will assume charge as the new Purappeda Santhi of Sabarimala for the next one-year term after a simple initiation ceremony to be held at the Ayyappa shrine on the eve of the Malayalam month of Vrischikom, November 15.

The one-year Purappeda Santhi term of the present Melsanthi, Sri Parameswaran Namboodiri ends on November 15. He will hand over the keys of the sanctum sanctorum to his successor on November 15.

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Section  : Southern States
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