The Kerala High Court has ratified the appointment of Kandararu Brahmadathan as the new Tantri (chief priest) of Sabarimala Temple, made by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
The Division Bench of Justices V. Raja Vijayaraghavan and K.V. Jayakumar observed that the present Tantri, Kandararu Rajeevaru, stated in a request to TDB that the right to perform Tantram at the temple came within his turn and that his son, Mr. Brahmadathan, had the sufficient expertise and knowledge of Tantra Sasthra, rituals and pujas.
The newly appointed Tantri is to be entrusted with the duties of the temple commencing from Chingam 1 and ending on Karkidakam 31 of the Malayalam calendar year 1202, corresponding to August 16, 2026 to August 16, 2027.
In July, Mr. Rajeevaru had expressed his wish to step down as the Tantri in a letter to TDB. He attributed his wish to ill-health and had asked for his son to succeed him in the position.
Mr. Rajeevaru had been one of the accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case. However, the Vigilance Court, Kollam, had granted him bail, citing lack of evidence.
Published – August 04, 2026 09:44 am IST
