Not easy to remove Kandararu Rajeevaru despite arrest, complicated by religious protocols 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The special investigation team probing the Sabarimala gold theft case, arrested Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru after hours of interrogation. The team brought Tantri for interrogation secretly. The Tantri has been brought to the Crime Branch office after his arrest.

It is reported that it is not easy to remove Kandararu Rajeevaru from his post of Tantri in Sabarimala despite his arrest as it is complicated by religious protocols. Rajeevaru is ‘Oranma Tantri’. He is the primary religious authority and performs the main Vedic rites and rituals of the temple. The tantri is deeply involved in the spiritual and sometimes administrative decisions concerning the temple, ensuring the proper conduct of rituals according to tradition. So, he cannot be changed all of a sudden. After the construction of the temple, the Tantri is appointed after knowing the will of the deity by conducting the Ashtamangala Devaprasnam. The Tantri takes the oath before the deity. After this, the position is traditionally held. The position can be changed only if the Tantri is willing to step down or if the clan is alienated. Before the Tantri changes, discussions have to be held with other Oranmars including other elders and religious leaders of the temple.

Kandararu Mohanararu, who was involved in the Tantri case in 2006, did not return as the Sabarimala Tantri later. Although the court acquitted Mohanaru, the devaswom board did not allow Mohanaru to perform puja in Sabarimala as a parikarmi along with the main Tantri Kandararu Maheshwararu in 2009. The SIT found that the gold theft will not happen in Sabarimala without the knowledge of the Tantri. Since it was Rajeevararu who opened the door to Sabarimala for Unnikrishnan Potty, we will know in the coming days whether he will lose his position.