PATNA: A Dalit has been appointed priest of the famous Ram Janaki temple at Paliganj, located at about 60 km from Patna, breaking a three-century-old Brahmin monopoly.

Janardan Manjhi, the newly-appointed priest of the temple is a Musahar, a scheduled caste. In his mid-60s, Manjhi had left his family more than a decade ago to serve in a Dalit temple in Paliganj.

It took temple administrator Kishore Kunal six months to select Manjhi, who is not well-versed in Sanskrit. During this period, temple authorities checked his credentials and his devotion to god. Manjhi will begin his work on Saturday morning, coinciding with Kabir Jayanti.