Thiruvananthapuram, July 11 (IANS)  In a significant development ahead of the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season beginning in November, Kandararu Rajeevaru, who was slated to assume charge as the hereditary chief priest (Tantri) of the famed hill shrine, has requested the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) not to consider his appointment this year, citing ill health.

In a letter submitted to the Board on Saturday, Rajeevaru cited ill health as the reason for stepping aside and requested that his son be considered for appointment in his place.

The TDB is expected to examine the request before taking a final decision on the appointment.

The office of the Tantri at the Sabarimala temple is hereditary and vests exclusively with the Thazhamon Madom family, which has, for generations, held the ancestral right to perform the temple’s Tantric rituals.

The position rotates among eligible members of the family in accordance with long-established custom and tradition.

Rajeevaru was next in line to assume the prestigious role for the forthcoming pilgrimage season. The development has also drawn attention because of the legal proceedings involving Rajeevaru.

He was investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged disappearance and misappropriation of gold ornaments and other valuable articles belonging to the Sabarimala temple.

The investigations centred on missing gold from temple artefacts and on allegations of financial irregularities involving the shrine’s valuables.

Rajeevaru was arrested during the course of the investigations by the SIT and was also questioned by the ED under provisions relating to money laundering. He was subsequently granted bail in the cases, while the investigations have reached a final lap.

Meanwhile, the TDB, however, is not expected to take an immediate call on the matter and is awaiting further developments, including the filing of the SIT’s final charge sheet and proceedings before the High Court.

With the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season only a few months away, the Board’s decision on the request assumes significance, as the Tantri occupies a central role in conducting the shrine’s most important rituals and ceremonies during one of the country’s largest annual pilgrimages.

–IANS

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