 The Rawal is requested by the [[Government of Uttarakhand]] to the [[Government of Kerala]].The candidate should possess a degree of [[Acharya]] (Post Graduate) in [[Sanskrit]], be a bachelor, well-versed in reciting "[[mantras]]" (sacred texts) and be from the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism.The erstwhile ruler of Garhwal, who is the tutelary head of Badrinath, approves the candidate sent by the Government of Kerala.