Thiruvananthapuram | With the annual pilgrimage season just weeks away, S Arun Kumar Namboothiri was selected on Thursday as the new Melsanthi (chief priest) of the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple.
Vasudevan Namboothiri from Kozhikode has been chosen as the Melshanti of the Malikappuram temple, situated just 100 meters away from Lord Ayyappa temple.
The selection was made through a traditional draw after the Ushapooja (morning prayer) at Sabarimala temple which was opened for monthly pooja on Wednesday.
Hailing from Sakthikulangara in Kollam district, Arun Kumar Namboothiri was selected through the draw of lots at the 'Sannidhanam,' the temple premises, in the morning.
Rishikesh Varma, a boy from the Pandalam royal family, picked the lot for the Sabarimala Melsanthi.
Similarly, Vaishnavi, a girl from the Pandalam royal family, drew the lot for the Malikappuram Melsanthi.
There were 25 candidates in the preliminary list of priests for Sabarimala and 15 candidates for Malikappuram.
The draw was conducted in the presence of Tantris (head priests) Kandararu Rajeevaru and Kandararu Brahmadathan, along with Devaswom Board President P S Prashanth, board members, and other top officials
You may also like
PM Kisan Nidhi: Due to incompleteness of these four works, the 18th installment has not yet come in the account, know what to do
UK weather: Exact date temperatures to plunge below freezing as autumn chill returns
RG Kar protest: Hunger strike by doctors enters day 13
Non-bailable warrant issued against BJP MLA over remarks on K'taka minister's wife
Govt Scheme: The government is giving financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to women, know which women will get the benefit