MELSHANTIS

Melshanti is the head priest at Sabarimala temple performing the designated poojas to Swamy Ayyappan. Many consider the melshanti and the tantri as the very representative of the Lord himself. The tenure of the melshanti is one year during which as Purappada shanti, he will not be allowed to leave the sannidhanam even after the closure of the shrine till the completion of their tenure. Many aspire for the coveted post,only a few chosen ones by the Lord himself get it. In the old days there were few takers for the post, mostly because of the inhospitable terrain and conditions. In those days the tenure of the melshanti was not fixed, and a person could continue as Melshanti as long as he wished with the permission of the tantri. It is sometime in the mid sixties or so when the tenure became fixed with the increase in the number of aspirants. It was only in the early nineties that the concept of Purappada Sanths was introduced by the TDB. Till then the melshantis used to return home after closure of the temple and would return in time for the opening of thirunada every month. The selection of melshantis is elaborate. Short listed candidates are interviewed by a panel of experts which includes the Thazhamon Tantri. The candidates are then further shortlisted and their names are jotted on a piece of paper which is in turn kept in an urn, taken inside the sanctum and submitted to the Lord. After the customary pooja the urn is taken out and two little children from Pandalam palace are asked to pick the names of the melshantis of Sabarimala and Malikapuram for the next year.

Many devout people had occupied the melshanti’s seat. In the earlier times long before 1950, Tulu brahmins used to be the melshantis at Sabarimala. Kadakkathu madathil Raman Vasudevan Embrandiri comes readily to mind. When the sreekovil caught fire accidentally on a makaravilakku day in 1903, he singlehandedly removed the idol from the peedam rushed out of the sreekovil and jumped into the old bhasmakulam, only to be found the next day,astonishingly alive. The idol was not damaged. The punapratishta of this idol was done in 1909 by Kantararu Prabhakararu. Kuttamani Embrandiri and Ramachandran Potti are the other melshantis that readily come to mind for their stellar service. It would be incomplete for a writeup on melshantis without a mention of Vadakkedath Eshwaran Namboodiri who became the melshanti after unholy elements vandalized the temple and the idol of Ayyappan. Eshwaran Namboodiri was melshanti of Sabarimala for nearly 4 continous years, during which the singing of Harivarasanam was established permanently during the closure of the shrine.

Year            Name

2022-23  Hariharan Namboothiri 

2021-22  Shambhu Namboothiri

2020-21  M.N. Raji Kumar Namboothiri

2019-20  M.S. Parameswaran Namboothiri

2018-19  M.N. Narayanan Namboothiri

2017-18  Anish Namboothiri

2016-17  M.E. Manu Kumar

2015-16  E. S. Unnikrishnan Namboothiri

2014-15  S. Kesavan Namboothiri

2013-14  P. M. Manoj Embranthiri

2012-13  Karicode Unnikrishnan Namboothiri

2011-12  T. K. Easwaran Namboothiri

2010-11  Dhananjayan Namboodiri

2009-10  K. C. Madhavan Namboothiri

2008-09  Sreekumara Sarma N.

2007-08  M. N. Krishnan Namboothiri

2006-07  Madhusoodanan Potty

2005-06  V. K. Jayarajan Potty

2004-05  Rajeev V. Namboothiri

2003-04  K. Govindan Potty

2002-03  N. Unnikrishnan Namboothiri

2001-02  V. Sreevalsa Sarma

2000-01  Late Keezhpally Parameswarn Namboothiri

1999-00  C. Jayaprakash Bhattathiri

1998-99  K. Vasudevan Potty

1997-98  Raman Namboothiri

1996-97  Raman Namboothiri

1995-96  K. P. Sreedharan Namboothiri

1994-95  Late Madhu Namboothiri

1993-94  Kuttambilli Vishnu Namboothiri

1988-89  P. K. Vishnu Namboothiri

1987-88  Late M. Sreedharan Namboothiri

1986-87  Late N. Govindan Namboothiri

1985-86  Easwaran Namboothiri