Congratulations @CMOKerala for ground-breaking achievement - appointment of non-brahmins, including dalits, as Travancore Devaswom Archagas

DMK working president M.K. Stalin extended hearty congratulations to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on October 7, 2017, for achieving a historic breakthrough in temple social justice. The Travancore Devaswom Board issued formal appointment orders to 36 non-Brahmin priests, including six persons hailing from Scheduled Caste communities, to perform sanctum rituals across state-administered shrines. Stalin termed the institutional reform a monumental milestone that dismantled centuries of entrenched caste hierarchy and exclusionary ritual practices.

Stalin emphasized that this progressive stride realized the core humanitarian principles championed by social reformers across southern India. For decades, rationalists and social justice advocates demanded that merit, theological qualification, and personal integrity—rather than hereditary birth privileges—must govern religious appointments. By ensuring transparent recruitment through the Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board, the administration established institutional dignity for qualified Dalit candidates who previously faced systematic orthodox discrimination.

The DMK leader expressed hope that this path-breaking initiative would inspire similar progressive transformations across all Indian states. He reiterated the Dravidian movement's enduring commitment to eradicating caste discrimination across spiritual and secular spheres. Stalin commended the Kerala leadership for demonstrating visionary social determination.