Thiruvananthapuram | Kandararu Brahmadathan will succeed his father, Kandararu Rajeevaru, as the Tantri (chief priest) of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala after the TDB approved his appointment on Saturday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Travancore Devaswom Board held at its headquarters here, the board said in a statement.

A member of the Thazhamon Madom, Brahmadathan, will assume charge on the first day of the Malayalam month of Chingam in accordance with tantric rituals.

Chingam is the first month of the Malayalam calendar, typically falling between mid-August and mid-September.

It marks the beginning of the harvest season and is considered an auspicious month-Onam, Kerala's biggest festival, falls in Chingam.

His tenure will continue until Karkidakam 31 of the Malayalam calendar, the statement said.

Karkidakam is the twelfth month of the Malayalam calendar, immediately preceding Chingam, and typically falls between mid-July and mid-August.

According to the TDB, Brahmadathan has been appointed to perform the tantric duties at the Sabarimala temple from Chingam 1 to Karkidakam 31 of the Malayalam calendar.

TDB President K Jayakumar and Board members K Raju and P D Santhosh Kumar attended the meeting.

The appointment comes amid media reports that Rajeevaru recently wrote to the Devaswom Board seeking to be relieved of his duties at Sabarimala, citing health issues.

His request came after he was named in the alleged gold loss case at the Lord Ayyappa temple and spent some time in jail in connection with the case.

The issue triggered a controversy after senior BJP leader K S Radhakrishnan called for an end to the Thazhamon family's hereditary claim to the post of Sabarimala Tantri.

He had said the Devaswom Board was under no obligation to appoint a person recommended by those facing criminal proceedings solely on the basis of hereditary succession.

The BJP, however, distanced itself from Radhakrishnan's remarks, saying the matter was not a political issue and that his comments reflected only his personal views.