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Sabarimala tantri takes on Devaswam Board

The confrontation between the Sabarimala tantri and the Travancore Devaswam Board, which administers the Ayyappa temple, has struck a discordant note in the spiritual ambience of the hill shrine at the fag end of the makaravilakku pilgrimage season.

Priests of Sabarimala belonging to the brahmin family of Thazhamon Matam at Mundankavu near Chengannur enjoy the hereditary right to conduct all religious rites at the temple. Traditionally, the tantri, or priest, is the ultimate authority on matters relating to ritualistic practices.

But for the first time in the history of the temple, the present tantri, Kantararu Maheswararu, has been served a showcause notice by the Devaswam Board. Issued by Sabarimala Executive Officer B Ramachandran Nair, at the behest of Devaswam Board Chairman V G K Menon, it accused the tantri of not performing the temple rituals to the full extent in letter and spirit. The tantri was asked to reply in a week.

The notice charged the tantri with handing over his duty to his son, Kantararu Mohanararu, without obtaining the prior consent of the Devaswam Board. It also alleged that he refused to distribute prasadam after Nirmalya pooja, and failed to finish Kalasa pooja.

The tantri, in his reply, made it clear that the Devaswam Board had no authority to interfere in rituals. He also questioned the right of the executive officer to serve a showcause notice on him as he was not an employee of the Devaswam Board.

He pointed out that the customary rituals at Sabarimala begin at 0400 hours and continue without break till very late in the night. The tantri, who is supposed to be present throughout, would be too tired to distribute prasadam. He could decide who should perform his duties at the temple in his absence. This right was hereditary and hence, beyond the reach of bureaucratic scrutiny, he said.

Tantri Maheswararu and tantri Mohanararu had held discussions with the members of the Pandalam royal family, who were looked upon by devotees as the foster fathers of Lord Ayyappa.

Pandalam king Punartham Naal Ravivarma, palace executive committee president Ramavarma and general secretary Raja Raja Varma openly joined hands with the tantris. They had taken a decision to reach consensus on the age-old rituals at the temple.

Earlier, a memorandum listing 21 suggestions had been submitted to the Devaswam Board by Valiya Thampuran Punarthamnaal K Ravi Varma Raja and palace executive secretary P R Raja Raja Varma. The suggestions sought steps to preserve the pristine purity of the ritualistic practices at the Sabarimala temple.

The Pandalam palace also felt aggrieved over the stance of the Devaswam Board in sidelining them with regard to the day-to-day rituals being performed at Sabarimala. The memorandum warned the board against the dilution of the spiritual potency of Sabarimala temple if lapses in daily rituals continued with no corrective action.

UNI

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