Sabarimala’s newly-elected melsanthi (chief priest) Prasad ED on Saturday said he would remain vigilant in the wake of the ongoing controversy over alleged irregularities in the gold plating of the Lord Ayyappa temple. Prasad, a native of Thrissur, and Manu Namboothiri MG from Kollam were selected as the chief priests of the Sabarimala and Malikappuram temples, respectively, through a traditional draw held at the Sannidhanam (temple complex) earlier in the day.
Speaking to the media after his selection, Prasad expressed confidence that Lord Ayyappa was aware of the situation and would ensure a solution. "Lord Ayyappa knows everything about what happened, and he himself will find a solution. The only thing is that we should always be vigilant. We land in trouble when we over-depend on others for anything. We should be independent," he said.
The melsanthi-designate added that he would exercise extra caution given the current controversies surrounding the hill shrine.
Earlier, expressing joy over his appointment, Prasad said, "I am very happy. Words fail to express my happiness. I cannot ask for anything more." An ardent Ayyappa devotee, Prasad hails from Chalakudy in Thrissur and has been serving as the priest at the Areswaram Dharmasastha Temple for the past three years.
The announcement of the new chief priest came just a day after the gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols were reinstalled at the Sabarimala temple, marking the shrine's opening for the Malayalam month of Thulam.
The approximately 14 gold-plated copper sheets, which were returned from Smart Creations in Chennai following electroplating as directed by the Kerala High Court, were reinstalled on Friday by sculptors in the presence of temple priests and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials, including its president, PS Prasanth.
Ironically, the reinstallation coincided with the arrest of businessman Unnikrishnan Potty — who had originally sponsored the electroplating of the Dwarapalaka plates in 2019 — by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold missing case.
The plates became a source of controversy last month after the TDB removed them for re-plating at Smart Creations without first securing the High Court’s permission. After reviewing documents related to the 2019 electroplating work, the court noted a reduction in gold weight and subsequently directed the TDB vigilance wing to conduct a preliminary inquiry. The vigilance later submitted a report citing serious misappropriation involving Potty and certain TDB officials. The High Court then appointed retired judge Justice KT Sankaran to prepare an inventory of the gold and other assets of the Sabarimala temple, and constituted the SIT, which has since registered two cases and arrested Potty.
Also read: Sabarimala gold scam: SIT arrests key accused Unnikrishnan Potty
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