The indian express

A first in Kerala

The decision of the Travancore Devaswom Recruitment Board (TDRB) to shortlist 36 non-Brahmins, including six Dalits, for appointment as priests is a first of its kind, even for kerala, which has a history of fighting caste prejudice in religious places. non-Brahmins do serve as priests in kerala, but mostly in small temples or private shrines. The TDRB recruitment institutionalises a process where candidates are chosen following an examination open to people of all castes and reservation norms are enforced. Conservative views have challenged court orders which ruled that merit, not caste or hereditary rights, must be the overriding principle in the appointment of priests.