Madras High Court rejects plea to permit only Vaishnavite Brahmins to run prasadam stall at Devarajaswamy Temple

The Madras High Court on Monday (August 11, 2025) refused to accept the argument that only Vaishnavite Brahmins could be permitted to operate a prasadam (sanctified food) stall, also known as Pathu Kadai, on the Devarajaswamy Temple premises in Kancheepuram district.

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh dismissed a writ petition filed against the deletion of the words, “belonging to Vaishnavite Brahmin community,” from the eligibility conditions prescribed in an auction notification issued for operating the prasadam stall at the temple.

The judge recorded the submissions of Special Government Pleader (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) department N.R.R. Arun Natarajan and the counsel for the temple administration K.V. Babu that the temple management had not compromised any of the Agama practices.

He pointed out that the writ petitioner L. Ravi, 71, a resident of West Mambalam in Chennai, had filed the case on the sole ground that only Vaishnavite Brahmins had been running the prasadam stalls for several years and hence, that practice must continue without any hindrance.

The judge said, though the July 31, 2025, auction notification does not mention the words “Vaishnavite Brahmins,” it does state that the applicants must be familiar with the customs of the temple as well as its Agamas, besides possessing five years of experience in preparing prasadam at a Vaishnavite temple.

Further, referring to an observation made by Justice B. Pugalenthi of the High Court on August 12, 2024, that the term ‘Vaishnavites’ refers to all those who worship Lord Vishnu and not just the Brahmins, the judge said, he does not find any reason to order that only Vaishnavite Brahmins could run the prasadam stall.

Though the writ petitioner had sought to restrain the temple management from conducting the auction on Wednesday (August 13), the judge refused to pass any such orders, and made it clear that the auction could take place as per the conditions stipulated in the July 31, 2025, notification.

In his affidavit, the petitioner, who claimed to be an ardent devotee of Lord Devarajaswamy, had stated that the right to run the prasadam stall was given to a person who was not a Vaishnavite Brahmin in 2002, and the latter began using onion, garlic, and drumstick, which were prohibited ingredients in the preparation of the prasadam.

Claiming that the person had caused “anaacharam” (spoiling the sanctity) by using prohibited ingredients, the petitioner insisted that the right to run the prasadam stall near the Vahana Mandapam inside the temple must be given only to a Vaishnavite Brahmin.