Assistants to Melsanthis at Sabarimala will be limited to four, TDB informs Kerala HC

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has informed the Kerala High Court that the number of assistants to Melsanthis (head priests) at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple and the Malikappuram Devi temple will be limited to four.

Police verification will be done prior to their selection. The number of assistants to Keezhsanthis will be limited to two, the TDB told the court.

The High Court had directed the TDB in October 2025 to submit the details and the norms being followed to select the assistants to Melsanthis (head priests) of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple and the Malikappuram Devi temple by October 31. The court specifically sought details like how many such assistants are there, when they were appointed and whether police verification was done before appointing them.

The TDB further informed the court that a suggestion to limit the service period of people serving as parikarmis (assistants) to five years was not practical. This could lead to a shortage of people with sound knowledge of rituals at the temple.

The matter has been posted for orders.