Non-Brahmins, differently-abled not welcome to apply for Guruvayur Temple cook post

Thrissur: Less than a month after a Dalit minister in Kerala said he was shunned at a temple event, a job notification to the famous Sree Krishna Temple in Guruvayur has raised eyebrows for its discriminatory nature.

The Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board (KDRB), the statutory body for appointments to temples in the state, has sought only Brahmins and urged differently-abled candidates to not apply to the post of cook at the Guruvayur Temple.

KDRB comes under the purview of K Radhakrishnan, Kerala's Minister for the Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Tribes, who was reportedly shunned by Brahmin priests during a lamp-lighting ceremony at a temple in Kannur.

The notification issued on October 11, which offers a salary between Rs 23,000 and Rs 50,200, says the candidate must be able to “read and write Malayalam”, “must have good physical fitness” and have “not less than three years experience in the relevant field”.

It then leaves a note in bold letters:
1) Only male candidates belonging to the Brahmin community are eligible to apply for this post.
2) Differently abled candidates are not eligible to apply for this post.

In response to a query on the controversial notification, KDRB chairman KB Mohandas said: “That is one of the qualifications prescribed under the special rules for appointment of permanent staff of Guruvayur Devaswom.”

This is not the first time the Guruvayur Temple has sought a 'Brahmin-only' appointment. A similar notification was issued in January last year before the minister intervened. Though the recruitment process was stalled, Covid-19 was cited as the reason.