Ayyur Varadaraja Perumal Revival 2025

Prabhandham and Vedic Recital every month at the once dilapidated temple near Tiruvarur

It is Thursday (November 20) morning and the sun has been beating down after a couple of days of heavy rain in the Tiruvarur region. The green fields around Katchanam are water logged. Yathulan (Srinivasan) Bhattar has made his way to the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Ayyur after riding over 20 kms from Rayanallur, where he serves as a priest, for presentation of Nalayira Divya Prabhandham and Desikar Prabhandham along with the Vedas. He is joined by two other priests from Srinivasa Perumal temple in Kottur and Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kadanthethi, near Thalai Gnayiru (the place where the idols of Vaduvur Ramar were found by the Thanjavur Prince). 

A twin turnaround

This day was remarkable on two counts. One, not so long ago the Ayyur temple was in a dilapidated state with bats and snakes being the sole inhabitants. The priest, Rajagopalan Iyengar, who passed away last year, aged 89, had been performing Thiru Aradhanam at the temple for many decades riding 8 kms in his cycle from Pinna Vasal (Mavur) though he did not receive any salary from the HRCE department, that administers the temple. His son Sowri Rajan Bhattar has been performing pooja over the last decade and more. In those dark days, each time he opened the lock of the Raja Gopuram, his first look was to see if there was a snake around for that had been the way he had been welcomed in the past. From a temple that had been in ruins, this has been a transformation of a rare kind for such a remote temple. Sowri Rajan Bhattar now performs Thirumanjanam every Hastham for Varadaraja Perumal presenting Thaligai that the villagers are grateful for.

The other is the parayanam initiative by Yathulan Bhattar, who after completing a decade of Vedic Education under Desikacharya and Govindan at the Vaduvur Patshala, has been taking care of the Varadaraja Perumal temple at Rayanallur(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/03/rayanallur-varadaraja-perumal-yathulan.html). Over the last 18 months, he has brought along a couple of other young priests from different remote temples around Thiruthuraipoondi to present parayanam in 7 remote temples in the region, every month without a break.

Devotees Dasarathi turns up and restores the temple out of nowhere

Following a story in this section in 2021 on the dilapidated state of the centuries old temple in Ayyur(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/10/pinna-vaasal-sowri-rajan-bhattar.html), Dasarathi, a devotee from Chennai, came forward to take up the restoration all on his own and within a year delighted the entire village with his rebuilding of the temple. He told this writer on Thursday that he had never visited any of these temples around Tiruvarur and had not even heard of these remote ancient temples prior to reading the story on the then sad plight of this temple and the once poverty stricken life of the priest and his family.

Dilapidated temple in 2021

It is now just over three years since the consecration of the temple and there is a certain vibrancy around the temple complex with the Vedic and Prabhandham recital every month. The Prabhandham members presented Koil Thiruvoimozhi, Ramanuja Nootranthathi, Adailakapathu and Pillayanthathi while Yathulan Bhattar sat all on his own for the Vedic recital. 

                                     New Look - November 2025

It is almost 1pm when they present the Satru Murai in front of Varadaraja Perumal. From no oil to even light the lamp, the Lord wore a handsome look with a beautiful big and colourful flower garland. On the days of the Parayanam, Yathulan Bhattar in addition to presenting the Prabhandham and Vedic verses also doubles up as the Madapalli cook preparing and presenting Kesari. 

A dark and neglected temple not so long ago, the villagers now visit the temple every day and are happy that they are even able to hear the Vedic sounds that reverberates around this small and remote village. Sowri Rajan Bhattar had made Ghee Pongal on this morning and distributes this along with the Kesari brought by Yathulan Bhattar. Two dogs serve as security guards at the temple and they too enjoy the Pongal and Kesari.

Yathulan and his team have to now ride back over 20 kms to their respective temples while Sowri Rajan Bhattar shuts the Sannidhi and heads back with a big smile pleased at the turnaround. It is just over a year since his appa passed away and every time Sowri Rajan Bhattar enters the temple, he remembers the decades when his appa so selfless cycled his way to the temple to perform Thiru Aradhanam. Devotee Dasarathi, one with a broad mind, felt that just restoring the dilapidated temple was not enough. He had read about Rajagopalan Bhattar’s had served for several decades when his family was in a state of poverty living in an old house in the Agraharam in Pinna Vasal, a house that too was in a dilapidated state. As part of his restoration initiative, in which he was already spending close to a crore towards the temple reconstruction, Dasarathi also rebuilt the Bhattar’s house from scratch much to the delight of Rajagopalan Bhattar. 

                               Devotee Dasarathi 

Sowri Rajan Bhattar told this writer that in his final days, his appa reiterated the message that sincere and committed Kainkaryam to Perumal will always be answered by him someday in life. And that the restoration of both the temple and his house was testimony to this. 

Tail Piece

While the Varadaraja Perumal has been restored, the villagers are hoping that someone would take up the restoration of the Krishnan Koil that has been in a dilapidated state for a few years now.

Sowri Rajan Bhattar performs daily Thiru Aradhanam there as well and he is confident that just like the Varadaraja Perumal temple, Krishnan Koil too would one day be restored to a time from the past and that there too the Vedic and Prabhandham recital would be heard sometime in the near future.

Ayyur is about 5kms south east of Katchanam and 15 kms North East of Thiruthuraipoondi.

Nellaiappar Aippasi Kalyana Utsavam 2025

Ganthimathi Ambal leaves the temple in anger on Thursday night only for Nellaiappar to pursue and provide her darshan the next morning on the Rishabham promising to marry her 

It’s the tenth day of the kalyana utsavam in Aippasi at the nellaiappar temple in Tirunelveli. Gandhimathi Ambal has been quite angry through the week at the non-acceptance by Swami of her love despite presenting herself in different beautiful alankarams. Having decided to make her way to the west of Tirunelveli, she asks her attendants to get her ready for the trip. 

It is 10pm on Thursday (Nov 13) and the priest at the Ambal Sannidhi gets down to providing her with a sacred bath. There is a sizeable devotee crowd at the alankaram mandapam. The priest presents her with coconut water, sandalwood paste and panchamritham even as the Shiva Adiyars recite the Thevaram verses in chorus.

Next Gen priest 

Raghavan Gurukal, son of Rajesh Gurukal, is completing his Vedic and Agamic education at the Patshala in Pillayarpatti. He is here for the utsavam and is the one who decorates Ambal after the abhisekam. Soon after the donor devotee of the abhisekam distributes prasadam to the 50 plus devotees who have stayed till 11pm.

Soon after Ambal’s abhiskam earlier in the night, back at the Swami Sannidhi unknown to her, there was an abhisekam for Nellaiappar following which he was mounted on to the Rishabham for a surprise trip the next morning. 

After draping her in a white saree, Ambal is mounted on to the golden palanquin. The police personnel arrive at the temple as do the sripatham personnel in good number but there is still another couple of hours to go as the priests get down to an extensive alankaram for the procession.

    Devotee crowd at Mahalingam Temple- Friday 1pm

Late Night Procession

It is past 1.30am when the Nadaswaram artistes begin their presentation signalling that Ganthimathi Ambal is ready to leave the temple. A speciality of this alankaram is that Ambal’s face has been anointed with a Vibhoothi paste and the few devotees who have stayed back late into the night are delighted to have this peaceful darshan of Ambal in this beautiful alankaram.

Kannan Sastrigal, the 65 year old Adyayana Bhattar, has been serving at the temple right from his childhood and he too is present for the start of the procession. He is vocal about how the temple was during his childhood and how there have been unrecognisable changes over the decades including the procession taking place on wheeled tyres. He continues to organise over 30 Kattalais in the year for various utsavams through devotees and accompanies Ambal in this late night procession.

Rajesh Gurukal is one of the two HRCE appointed priests at the temple. He bemoans the fact that the service personnel have drastically reduced from over 200 five decades ago to under 50 now.

There is drizzle in the air but that does not deter the service personnel as Ganthimathi Ambal makes her way into the East Street, one that was inhabited not so long ago by traditionalists but is now full of shops with Kannan Sastrigal’s house opposite the Ambal Sannidhi one of the few traditional homes on the street.

There are a few local temples on the way and those open to welcome Ambal. A Deeparathanai Maha Devi Road to the procession and a few of them turn up in front of their homes with flowers.  

In the century gone by when the streets around temples were occupied by service personnel, late evening processions seemed relevant as the residents participated in large numbers. But when most of the original inhabitants have left their hereditary towns selling away their lands, street processions after midnight do not make devotional sense. In Aani this year, Nellaippar made a night long 15 kms trip sans devotees for Siddhar Katchi. This procession was to the Katchi Mandapam 3kms west of the Nellaiappar temple. While there were a few devotees at street corners and a few of the local temples opened up, by and large this was a procession that did not have devotees to see the anger of Ambal.

It is 3am when Ambal entered the Kamakhi Moola Mahalingam temple. The sripatham personnel and the few devotees leave the temple for a well earned rest.

Rishabham 

Back at the Nellaippar temple, Manikandan Gurukal, the other HRCE appointed priest arrives at 8am. He directs his teammates to decorate Nellaiappar ahead of the procession. There are huge flower garlands and the priests spend the best part of an hour getting the alankaram right. It is past 10am when Swami is finally ready for the procession. Good number of devotees have gathered in front of the Raja Gopuram and as is the trend these days the phones come up for the first photos and videos of Nellaiappar atop the Rishabham.

Like the previous night, there is a slight drizzle. The Chairman Board of Trustees carries an umbrella and is part of the entire procession wearing his chappals!!! The long flower garlands hanging in front of the Chapparam block an easy view of the Rishabham. 

In front of the Ambal Sannidhi, Nellaiappar is joined by Perumal who goes around him thrice. On the Cheran Maha Devi, Swami is joined by the Saivite Saint Poet Thiru Gnana Sambandar. And the Udal members add flavour to the procession with their loud and devotional presentation. 

                           Thiru Gnana Sambandar

Manikandan Gurukal is a most recognisable face and devotees come up to him to express their greetings. He is patient all through the trip and hands out flower garlands to devotees along the way. It is 11. 30am when Nellaiappar positions him under the four pillared mandapam. Manikandan Gurukal directs the Maniyakaarar to wait till noon (Rahu Kaalam) before getting Ambal out of the Mahalingam temple. 

There is a sizeable crowd at the four pillared mandapam. On hearing that Swami will first provide Kaatchi there, devotees who have had darshan through the morning of Ganthimathi Ambal make their way to the four pillared mandapam and each of them position themselves for what they believe will be the best view of the Kaatchi. 

As the clock ticks past noon, Ganthimathi Ambal is informed of the surprise trip of Swami and Perumal and devotees spot an instant smile in her face. Moorthy Gurukal has been at the temple for several decades and is a popular priest. He sports a big smile as he makes his way up the palanquin to stand next to Ambal for this procession from the Kaatchi. 

To the nadaswaram and udal presentations, she makes her way to the four pillared mandapam on the Cheran Maha Devi road and goes around Swami thrice before positioning herself opposite him. Unlike the procession the previous night, several hundreds of devotees have gathered in for the Kaatchi event. 

Manikandan Gurukal representing Nellaiappar and Moorthy Gurukal on behalf of Ganthimathi Ambal present the respective garlands that are exchanged. Senthil Othuvar has joined the procession and presents the sacred Thevaram verses. It is 12.30pm when there is a loud devotional cheer among the devotees as Manikandan Gurukal and Moorthy Gurukal present the Deeparathanai much to the delight of those present.

The place is soggy with devotees finding it difficult to make their way back after the darshan. The road too is full of pits and hard stones indicating the sad state of management of such a historical utsavam.

It is past 1pm when Nellaiappar makes his way into the Mahaligam temple to provide Kaatchi to Ambal. There are hundreds of devotees who have darshan of the big Deeparathanai and by now Ganthimathi Ambal has cooled down with Swami promising to marry her the next morning. After receiving the sacred white ash, the devotees head back home discussing their experience of the morning with their family members and friends.

Thanjavur Palace Prince Temples Vision 2025

Four Decades after he took over the reigns, Thanjavur Prince is looking for people support from Corporates in different areas of Temple Administration

Babaji Rajah Bhonsle was at St. Peter’s School in Thanjavur when his Grand father passed away exactly 40 years ago. It was the second death in the family in successive years after his father had passed away just a year earlier. It is not yet one week after the glorious celebration of the birthday of Raja Raja Chozhan at the Brihadeeswarar temple, one where his Royal Family has been the trustees for Centuries. On a day when he was to meet the Dharmapura Aadheenam in Mayiladuthurai and a day ahead of the beginning of the events relating to the Consecration of Thanjai Maa Mani Narasimha Divya Desam in Vennatrankaraihttps://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/08/thanjai-maa-mani-divya-desam.html), the Prince sat down at the Palace for a long chat looking back at his teenage phase, the dark years of the Big Temple and his plans for the 88 temples under his administration.

“I was too young then, not even in my adolescence. In that phase, one is usually brave and fearless and believes that he can conquer the world. And right from my childhood I had a very positive outlook to life. My Grand Father always reiterated the message that one should be true to God and that as the Trustee of a temple, we should never go after name or fame. We should do what we have been blessed to do in this life” Babaji Rajah Bhonsle told this writer of one of the most important messages of his life that he learned from his grandfather that has stayed with him every day of his life since the passing away of his dear Thatha.

British take away the Maratha Power

The British had taken away the entire kingdom from them. Everyone acknowledged that this was one of the best ruled regions of all the kings but at the blink of an eye, the powers of the Babaji were grabbed by the British. There was a big chattiram under the Palace where guests from other temple towns and head of Mutts would stay but that too was taken away by the British leading to accommodation issues. More than anything else, the personal family of the Rajah of Thanjavur was impacted the most by the ruthless acquisition of all the properties of the King. In the century that has passed by, the Palace has not been compensated for the sudden loss of their finances.

Refuses Governor Post, Remains at God's feet

70 years ago, the then CM of TN, C Rajagopalachari, offered the Governor’s post to the Rajah of Thanjavur, but Kanchi Maha Periyava directed the Rajah to continue the temple service.

While he had a fearless outlook, the external scenario had turned grim in the 1970s and 80s in addition to the internal gloom arising out of the two deaths in his family in a short period of time. “There were no devotees even at the Big temple and the Mariamman temple, let alone the other temples in Thanjavur. Income had completely dried. Thanjavur was an agri driven region but as the original inhabitants began to leave to the larger cities, that too began to take a hit. Swami Malai was renowned for Bronze making but with people staying away from temples and the income of temples dwindling, those businesses too went under the carpet. From a time when we handed out the salary two years in advance, we had unpaid salaries to our staff for 15 months. But even in that dark phase, I was positive about orchestrating a turnaround in fortunes and always had an inner strength,” the Prince said of how he now remembers the scenario in the 88 temples under his administration.

1980s Aippasi Sathaya Vizha
He has had minimal rest over the past fortnight with preparation for the Sathaya Vizha celebrations taking a lot of his time and then this week he has had to oversee the final phase of work ahead of the consecration, next Monday, at the Singaperumal Divya Desam in Vennatrankarai. This is symbolic of how dramatically fortunes have turned around. When devotees visited the two-day celebrations of Raja Raja Chozhan in several thousands, his mind turned back to the 1980s “Mutts had supported the Sathaya Vizha in the past but they too stopped. We did not have money to conduct the festival. In those years, all we did was to have a tent in front of the Nandi and that’s where we celebrated the Aipasi Sathaya Utsavam. We did not even have flower garlands for Swami and Ambal and there were bats flying all around.”

New Challenges for the Thanjavur Palace

While the festivals at the Big Temple have reached a new high with devotees thronging in large numbers to present their offerings and to participate in all the events with big financial contributions, the Prince has a fresh set of worries quite different from the challenges he faced in the mid 1980s when he took over the reign. “There are challenges relating to shortage of permanent service personnel in temples. Devotees are thronging select temples leading to overcrowding there but most of them ignore the smaller sized temples. Recovery of dues from temple owned lands continues to be a challenge. There are those paying rent that they paid decades without an appropriate increase. I want to increase the income multi-fold through collection from temple lands” Prince Babaji Bhonsle tells this writer even as he directs his staff to follow up on the bags of paddy from the agri lands. 

The running of the 88 temples by the Thanjavur Palace has been undertaken largely through the income derived from the Big Temple and Mariamman temple in Punnai Nallur, the two high earning temples.

New Initiatives
Over the last year or so, he has embarked on a new and thoughtful initiative. In the five consecrations that have taken place during this time, he has worked along with the donor devotee to pay a certain sum towards the medical expenses of 20 of the service personnel. The Veera Narasimha Perumal Consecration on Monday morning will be the sixth where the devotee donor will be supporting the temple personnel in their health requirements. The Prince of Thanjavur looks at this with a great deal of delight. Also, as part of the consecration celebrations, he has requested the devotee donors to also present vastrams to the service personnel in addition to the priests of the temple. Almost all these devotees have found satisfaction in the fact that alongside restoring historic temples, they have also been able to play a ‘healthy’ role in the lives of the service personnel at the temple.

                       PUNNAI NALLUR SALIGRAMA KOTHANDARAMAR

Technology at the forefront

He has been ahead of times on the technology front. Over two decades ago, he had begun maintaining cash book through proper tech software on the desktop. He has always stood for transparency and right from his early days, the accounts of the temples have been in public domain. Tenders are also in Public so everyone can participate and see how it works. To save the electricity bills that forms a high percentage of the temple expense, he has been advocating for the use of Solar energy and believes that its implementation will significantly reduce the electricity charges.

No special entry/ No ticket based entry
During his life time, he is also keen to do away with special entrance and ticket based entry at his temples and create strong SOPs that will be in order at his temples for the next generation of administrators and devotees.

Positive Transformation over the four decades
57 year old Prince Babaji Bhonsle has been at the helm for four decades now and says that from a time when there was no money to pay salaries to staff, there has been a positive transformation with even the medical expense of the service personnel being taken care of now. In the just ended Sathaya Utsavam, all the staff of the Big Temple were presented with Vastrams as part of the celebration. During the evening street procession last Saturday evening, 100s of traditional artistes led the way dancing around the four big streets of Thanjavur. Sambhavanai and sacred food was presented to them that day for their participation. It was the Palace’s way of protecting and encouraging village artistes and keeping their tradition going.

Saurashtra clan clean the Big Temple

Similarly, ahead of the Sathaya Utsavam, members from the Saurashtra clan cleaned the temple including the utsava idols. It is such public participation in temple activities that has long been an integral part of Rajah’s way of administering the temple. His model of administration has always been inclusive roping in people from different walks of life to be involved in some form in temple service. 

                          PRASANNA VENKATESA PERUMAL

Prince's Vision for the Next Gen
The next phase in his temple journey is to strengthen and solidify the 88 temples further by streamlining the processes and ensuring that the heritage is protected. His children have not had their lunch as they are waiting for their ‘Princely’ father. He does not have too much time on his hands for he has to leave to meet the Dharmapuram Aadheenam in the next half hour or so.

Even as he heads home for his first meal of the day at 3pm, he leaves with the message that the biggest revolution he wants to create in his lifetime is to transform people in their thoughts towards God. There are so many dilapidated temples that date back over 1000 years but devotees continue to pump in money only into the rich temples. He points to a few photographs of one such dilapidated temple under his administration but even here devotees hand out donations to the Big Temple and the Mariamman temple at Punnai Nallur while most of the other temples are neglected by them in terms of day to day maintenance.

Two GMs from the Corporate World???
For 40 years, he has been working on the ground overseeing the activities at these temples but now he is keen to have GM (General Manager) kind of officials who can administer the events and take care of the daily activities. He wonders if the leading corporates in TN would be able to allocate one staff towards temple administration for one year as part of their CSR activity. He is also keen to explore partnerships with corporates where in the CSR arm would assign service personnel to the historic temples in Thanjavur, who would take upon themselves ownership in certain areas in the temple space for one of his biggest challenges is the core administration. He is hoping that that corporate personnel will be able to train his staff on various aspects of administration as well as educating them on the sthala puranam and the rich heritage of each of these temples. There are also key challenges relating to collection of rent from temple lands. At the moment, he has had to micro manage every activity resulting in precious loss of time in chalking out and implementing his visionary plans for the 88 temples.

Wants to Preach Dharma and Values
With his experience of four decades in administering the 88 temples, he wants to turn a preacher of values and dharma sometime in his life in order to influence devotees to a positive way of life. He says that historically, the temple system was refined and there was precision in temples. Those values have been lost over the last few decades even as one is witnessing a devotional wave in temples in TN. He wants to dramatically increase the pracharams in the temple space on the values and dharmas and believes that people can be positively influenced through these.

There is no source of revenue for the Thanjavur Palace. On the other hand, as the Trustee, Babaji Rajah Bhonsle has been spending huge amount of money towards the administration of the 88 temples, that has been a perpetual drain on the historical savings. He has ever remained positive even during the most tragic of times when he lost his father and grand father in successive years in his teens. The Prince of Thanjavur is confident that he will be to wade through the financial and labour challenges protecting and safeguarding the rich legacy of these temples and passing it on to the next generation.

Brihadeeswarar Temple Aippasi Sathaya Utsavam

Celebrating Raja Raja Chozha

The Legendary Chozha King provided Ethir Sevai to Peruvudayar and Periya Nayaki on the Rishabham on Saturday evening

When Babaji Rajah Bhonsle took over the mantle as the Trustee in the mid 1980s, the Brihadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur was in a bad financial state. 1984 and 85 had been two tragic years for the Thanjavur Palace. Babaji Rajah Bhonsle was still in his teens when he first lost his father, and then the very next year his grandfather Rajaram Rajah Saheb, who had been the Prince for over five decades throwing the teenager into the deep end and with the onerous task of managing 88 temples under the Palace’s fold. Unfortunately, for the new Prince, this takeover came during a terrible phase for temples in TN, one when original inhabitants of agraharams in various temple towns had begun leaving their hereditary locations seeking greener pastures in cities. The situation at the 88 temples for which he was the hereditary trustee was grim. There were no devotees in sight, income into the temple was minimal, festivals and their grandeur had come to a halt and the priests lived a financially challenged life.  The overall mood among the priests and service personnel was extremely negative with salary not having been paid for over a year.

Exactly 40 years after he took over, what one witnessed on Saturday (Nov 1) bore no resemblance to those bleak dark decades of the 70s and 80s and is a transformation of a monumental proportion. It was Aippasi Sathayam and the day to celebrate the greatness of Raja Raja Chozhan, the King who built the Brihadeeswarar temple. The entire temple complex was packed with several thousands of devotees a far cry from the early years of Babaji Rajah Bhonsle.

Roads leading to the temple had to be blocked on all sides such was the devotee crowd thronging the temple. Inside the temple, there were multiple events with cultural programmes to lectures on the greatness of the legendary Chozha King. The first half of the day was marked by an Abhishekam for Swami. At the Nataraja Mandapam, one set of priests had begun decorating Peruvudayar and Periya Nayaki atop the Silver Rishabha Vahanam while another set worked on the alankaram of birthday boy Raja Raja Chozhan and his wife and their son Rajendra Chozhan.

Political leverage of high profile events

As is the trend these days, politicians try their best to leverage such profile events. Just past 5pm, scores of two wheelers and cars raced past buses at abnormal speeds that left the general public shocked. Shouting slogans in praise of their leaders, young boys carrying flags brought public vehicles to a standstill. Even worse, teenagers stood outside of the car even as it sped at break neck speed towards the Big Temple. And when they reached the temple entrance, they did not make their way for darshan. Instead they went towards the statue of Raja Raja Chozhan, garlanded him and left the place.

The devotee crowd swarmed the temple as the clocked ticked past 6pm. A set of them stood in front of the big Nandi and invoked his blessings. Another group made their way to the long queue to the Moolasthanam for a darshan of Peruvudayar. In the South Prakara, the speakers were extolling the greatness of Raja Raja Chozha and his contribution to Thanjavur. As is the trend these days, the longest queue was for the distribution of food as devotees waited patiently to collect their plate. Unfortunately, on such big days, the beautiful greenery around the temple becomes a mess as people sit in large numbers on the grass undermining the huge effort that goes into creating and maintaining the temple. 

A 20 Page Utsavam Invitation!!!

From the time when utsavams had stopped at the temple in the second half of the previous century, the colourful invitation for this two day festival ran into almost 20 pages with acknowledgments for politicians and the like. The procession was to start at 6pm as per the invitation but in such high profile events it is rare that the schedule is adhered to.

The nadaswaram troupe arrived ahead of the deeparathanai but the devotional music for the evening was taken over by the highly devotional udal members. It is past 7.30pm when the screen at the mandapam opens for the big deeparathanai. A huge crowd had gathered in for this moment but once again the focus turned to VIPs and judges with priests having to accord a special mariyathai to them with silk shawls!!!

It is past 8pm when Periya and Periya Nayaki make their way from the mandapam towards the wheeled vehicle that is ready for them. There is non stop clicking of photos and videos that has become the order of the day in such utsavams.

Shiva Adiyar presents Raja Raja's greatness

Raja Raja Chozha and his wife along with their son Rajendra lead the procession providing Ethir Sevai to the divine couple. Another Deeparathanai at the Eastern Gopuram and everything is set for the long procession around the four Raja Veethis of Thanjavur.  At the start of the procession, an adiyar read out the historical greatness of Raja Raja Chozha and the reason for this celebration much to the delight of the devotees. 

A big transformation in Saivite temples in the last few years has been dominating presence of Shiva Adiyars. They have now become an integral part of utsavams participating in good numbers during the street processions. The udal members have been a revelation. At the Jambukeswarar temple in Thiruvanaikaval, they present the udal during the pancha prakara utsavam, at the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore, they have been out beating the traditional nadaswaram troupe. On this big evening at the Big Temple in Thanjavur, the procession stayed alive thanks to the continuous and non stop presentation of these udal members. An interesting feature of the udal troupe in all these temples is the presence of young girls who are initiated early on into a devotional way of life. This is a very physically demanding activity but when devotion is high the physical pain is forgotten. 

The procession around the four Raja Veethis of Thanjavur on this evening of Aippasi Sathayam is a day to remind ourselves of the great contribution of Raja Raja Chozha and how this Chozha region flourished thanks to his initiatives. Unfortunately, on this big celebratory occasion, people paid utter disregard to the great king as they waded through the procession on their two wheelers and cars. The police personnel accompanied the procession but remained mute spectators as the non stop flow of vehicles on both sides of the road disrupted the procession. 

The street procession at the Big Temple is around the four Raja Veethis with shops and complexes having a large presence. Hence, there were not too many presentations of thattu and flowers as is the case in festival street processions. 

Inside the cars, outstation travellers pointed to the procession of the Great Chozha. Across this historic city that saw its greatness rise to its peak during the Chozha period there are large sized posters of Raja Raja Chozhan reminding one of the contribution he made to his capital city. 

Three hours after the start of the procession, Raja Raja Chozha made his way back into the temple. Even as Periya and Periya Nayaki followed him into the eastern entrance with the clock ticking to 11pm, Pattimandram Raja was delivering his verdict on the contribution of Raja Raja Chozha – was it to the people or to the temple!!!

He spoke about the Uyyakondan Canal, the construction of Saivite temple after his victory in Lanka, making huge contribution to the temples after every victory, how he wanted people to participate in the running of the kingdom laying down guidelines on who could contest in the elections and of course how he built this great temple that has left visitors in awe of the construction.

If the Thanjavur region has flourished over the centuries, a lot of the credit must go to Raja Raja Chozhan. And the procession on this Saturday evening was an occasion to celebrate his gigantic contribution to the Chozha kingdom.  In his childhood, Babaji Rajah Bhonsle had grown up seeing the dark side of the Big Temple inhabited by bats. There had been no ghee available to even light the lamps in the Sannidhis. On this momentous evening, the entire temple town was lit with colourful light with the entire temple complex basking in brightness bringing a smile to the Prince of Thanjavur. Swami and Ambal were seen glittering jewellary. He is happy that in his four decades at the helm, he has been able to revive the fortunes of the temple so greatly built by Raja Raja Chozha. More importantly, he has been able to orchestrate a two day large scale event to remind devotees worldwide of the legendary contribution of Raja Raja Chozha. 

And even as the clock ticked past 11pm late on Saturday evening, devotees continued to stroll into the temple for a final glimpse of Peruvudayar and Periya Nayaki sans the Rishabham. And to thank Raja Raja Chozha for making Thanjavur a global destination with this architectural wonder. 

Thiruvanaikaval Paricharakar Nagarajan

After a chequered childhood, Nagarajan has seen financially good times at the Akilandeswari Jambukeswarar temple in Thiruvanaikal where he has served as a Sannidhi Paricharakar for three decades

Paricharakar Nagarajan wears a worried look on Wednesday (Oct 15) morning at the Ranganayaki Thayar Sannidhi in Srirangam. Having served at the Akilandeswari Jambukeswarar temple in Thiruvanaikaval for the last three decades, he now has only a couple of years of service left. With his daughter is still at school, he is keen for her to study Siddha Medicine, though she herself is interested in IT but is not sure as to how he will fund her collegiate education. 

கையிலுண்ணுங் கையருங் கடுக்கடின் கழுக்களும்

மெய்யைப்போர்க்கும் பொய்யரும் வேதநெறியை யறிகிலார்

தையல்பாக மாயினான் தழலதுருவத் தானெங்கள்

ஐயன்மேய பொய்கைசூழ் ஆனைக்காவு சேர்மினே

Financially Challenged childhood

He had been through a financially challenged childhood with his appa Panchapakesan, who also served at the Thiruvanaikaval temple as a Parichakar, having to take care of four children. “We would get to have upma in the night for dinner only if he received Rs. 2 as Sambhavanai that day at the temple. There was no electricity at home till the 1980s. There was also no proper toilet and bath facilities in the thatched hut that we lived back then.  We did not know if we would get the next meal" he told this writer looking back at the financial struggle during this school days.

As seen in many other stories on remote temples, the salary for the service personnel at TN temples was minimal and devotees had dwindled in the 1970s and 80s. With limited salary and almost a non existent devotee sambhavanai it was a struggle for Parichakara Panchapakesan to take care of a large family.

Quits after Class X, joins his appa at the temple

Nagarajan quit academics at 15 and began to support his appa at the temple watching him perform the paricharaka service. He was appointed as a Paricharaka at the Thiruvanaikaval temple in the 1990s at a salary in the 100s. Since then, he has been donning the role of a Paricharaka, one that entails abhishekam for parivara moorthy, keeping the Sannidhi clean, carrying the canopy for Pandithar during the uchi kaala pooja, support services during six kaala pooja and palliyarai service.

விண்ணின் மாமதி சூடி

 விலையிலி கலன்அணி விமலன்

பண்ணின் நேர்மொழி மங்கை

 பங்கினன் பசுவுகந் தேறி

அண்ண லாகிய ஆனைக்

 காவுடை ஆதியை நாளும்

எண்ணு மாறுவல் லார்கள்

 எம்மையும் ஆளுடை யாரே

Soon after joining the temple, I began to learn Purohitam (Rig Vedas) from Bhavani Maama and went for homam activities in and around Thiruvanaikaval for the much needed additional income.  Through this he built his devotee network. 

Alankaram Expert

At the turn of the century, taking personal interest, he learnt the art of decorating the utsava deities initiated into this highly satisfying activity by Pandurangan, a senior Paricharakar at that time. He became so interested in the alankaram of Swami and Ambal that he took that up as an additional responsibility and has now been decorating the deities ahead of processions for the last two decades. 

“It is a physically demanding and laborious process to decorate the deity but the satisfaction at the end of it is very high. From the attire to the abaranams, one has to pay attention to minute details. You also have to be ready for criticism if devotees don’t like the alankaram or if its below their expectations”, says Nagarajan. 

This has imposed a great deal of responsibility in him to take care in decorating swami and ambal and it is something that has given endless satisfaction and peace of mind. Following the alankaram, he also goes along with the deities on the procession presenting Vibhoothi to the devotees around the four streets. Given this experience, he has now become an alankaram expert at the temple.

Stretching himself - Burdened with expenses

Over the last decade or so, he has also rebuilt the house from the previously thatched hut it was till the end of the previous century.  He and his two brothers and their families continue to live as per the old Joint family system bucking the current trend. His younger brother, Raghavan, too joined him in the Paricharaka service with both of them seeking to continue the service in the footsteps of their father. The elder brother as was the trend in the decades gone by took to the corporate world.

வலங்கொள் வாரவர் தங்கள்

 வல்வினை தீர்க்கும் மருந்து

கலங்கக் காலனைக் காலாற்

 காமனைக் கண்சிவப் பானை

அலங்கல் நீர்பொரும் ஆனைக்

 காவுடை ஆதியை நாளும்

இலங்கு சேவடி சேர்வார்

 எம்மையும் ஆளுடை யாரே

The reconstruction of the house has led to a good percentage of his salary and his savings being taken away towards the home loan repayment.

Better times, financially

Despite the financial challenges of his childhood and the low income in the initial decade of his service as a paricharaka, things have turned around for him with the devotional wave striking TN temples in a big way over the last decade and he feels blessed to have been assigned to perform the paricharaka service at this legendary temple built by Ko Chenganan Chozha.

The Jambukeswarar temple is located on the Northern banks of Cauvery in Thiruvanaikaval and is one of the Pancha Bhootha Sthalams, where Lord Shiva manifests himself as ‘Water’ (among the five elements). Hence this is referred to as a ‘Neer’ sthalam. Thiruvanaikaval is home to Nava Theertham and the belief is that those who bathe in the Nava Theertham on Chitra Pournami and invoke the blessings of Jambukeswarar and Akilandeswari will attain Mukthi. The temple dates back to the 5th century AD to the rule of Kochenganan Chozha, who ruled from Uraiyur and is an architectural marvel with high roofs, five huge prakaras south of the Coloroon, towering Gopurams in the East and the West and Nava Theerthams. The temple has been praised by Appar, Thiru Gnana Sambandar and Sundara Moorthy Nayanar.

While he is hopeful that Akilandeswari, whom he has beautifully decorated on numerous occasions over the last decade, will take care of him just as she has in the times gone by, there is anxiety around his daughter and funding her collegiate education given that he is set to retire in the next couple of years. He heads back to Thiruvanaikaval from the Thayar Sannidhi with the confidence that his selfless service dating back to the 1990s will hold him in good stead in the future.

Paricharaka Nagarajan can be reached on 94864 84545

Pennadam Appar Soola Rishabha Muthrai Temple

Celebrating Appar

The Pralayakaaleswarar temple where Saivite Saint Poet Appar was initiated with Soola and Rishabha Muthrai has received a big facelift and wears a fresh look 

45 year old Karthikeyan Gurukal has been at the historic Pralayakaaleswarar temple for the last decade and a half. It is a temple where Saivite Saint Poet Thirunavukarasarar (Appar) received the Soola and Rishabha Muthrai and was anointed with the sacred white ash as he transformed himself into a great Saivite devotee who went from temple to temple praising Lord Shiva in his different forms. This is also a temple praised by Thiru Gnana Sambandar.

Karthikeyan Gurukal’s forefathers performed archaka service at this temple when the scenario was rather bleak. His appa served at the temple till he was 71 while his thatha had performed service till he was into his 60s, both having started out when they were young. He quit school at 15 and went to the Kanchi Patshala to learn the agamas.

Given the financial challenges and the poor devotee turnout at this remote temple and with his appa continuing his services, Karthikeyan Gurukal was roped in by his uncle for the Draupadi Amman temple in Pudur, Trichy. It was there that he learned the Pooja Kramas and supported his uncle for almost a decade.

With his appa getting old, he returned to Pennadam 15 years ago and has been performing the archaka service since then. It took him almost a decade to secure a permanent posting at the temple after the death of his father. As is the scenario in remote temples, the financial returns are meagre for someone who performs archaka service right through the year for 6hours in the morning and 5 hours in the evening but it is something he has enjoyed right from the time he was a child.

"My appa and thatha performed service at this temple and I wanted to continue that tradition. As you can see, devotees keep coming in small numbers on weekdays and once in a while outstation devotees turn up at this legendary temple where Appar presented three verses and received the blessings of Swami” Karthikeyan Gurukal told this writer sitting in front of the Pralayakaaleswarar Sannidhi. 

Chitrai Sathayam - Celebrating Appar

During his transformational phase to becoming a Saivite, Appar reached Pennaadam and sung three verses of praise. In celebration of the episode marking the anointing of Appar with Soolam and Rishabham Muthrai, the temple comes to life once a year in Chitrai when on the Mrigasheersham day the flag is hoisted for the big festival. On the fifth day, Appar goes on a procession in a grand alankaram along with Pancha Moorthies with Pralayakaaleswarar providing darshan atop the Rishabha Vahana. It is on the Sathayam day in Chitrai that Guru Pooja takes place for Appar.

An Othuvar who makes it specifically for this utsavam presents the sacred verses of Thirunavukarasar in praise of the Lord of Pennadam and after each verse, Appar is anointed with Soola Muthrai, Rishabha Muthrai and the sacred ash much to the delight of the Shiva Adiyars. It is the biggest event of the year and attracts devotees from across the region. While the Vahanas are in place following the restoration of the temple and the Kumbabisekam in February this year, work is currently taking place on two of the three chariots that have been damaged.

In the century gone by, there was also a grand festival for Aadi Pooram but given the financial challenges this came to a halt.

The Legend

Legend has it that the residents of this town invoked the blessings of Shiva to save them from the floods that was threatening to destroy them. The Lord assigned Nandi on this task. He turned his face and absorbed the floods saving the people in this region. Hence, Nandi is seen with his face turned at this temple.

When Indra required flowers for his pooja, he asked Deva Kanni to go and bring flowers for him. She came to this place and found a wide variety of flowers. When her eyes fell on Pralayakaaleswarar, she lost herself in thoughts of him and forgot the purpose of her visit. With Deva Kanni not returning to Indra Logam, Indra assigned Kamadhenu on this task but so moved was the cow with this place that she provided milk for abisekam and stayed put. He then sent his elephant Airavatham but the devotion of this location moved him too and he too remained here. Hence this place came to be known as Penn- Aa- Kadaam which in course of time became Pennaadam. There are several historical inscriptions around the Moolavar Sannidhi.

Moolavar darshan from all four sides

A special feature of the Moolasthanam is that one can have darshan from all the four sides. Another feature at the Moolavar Sannidhi is that the two dwarapalakas are facing each other in a posture ready to permit devotees to have darshan of their swami. 

Mada Koil built by Ko Chenganan

The Vimanam of Prayalakalesawar is in the form of an elephant and is referred to as Ghaja Prishta Vimanam. There is a Sundareswarar Sannidhi atop the hill with devotees having to climb about 10 steps – referred to as a Mada Koil one built by Ko Chenganan Chozhan. It was from here that he gave darshan to Anandavalli moved by her unflinching devotion.

அம்பரமும் பெருநிலனும் திசைகள் எட்டும் 

அலைக்கடலும் குலவரையும் உண்டகண்டன் 

கொம்பமரும் வடமரத்தின் இலைமேல் பள்ளி கூடினான் 

திருவடியே கூடாகிற்பீர் 

வம்பவிழும் செண்பகத்தின் வாசம் உண்டு 

மணி வண்டு வகுலத்தின்  மலர் மேல் வைகு 

செம்பியன் கோச் செங்கணன் சேர்ந்த கோயில் 

திருநறையூர் மணிமாடம் சேர்மின்களே -Thiru Mangai Azhvaar

Kalikampar's birth place

This is the birth place of Kalikampar, one of the 63 Nayanmars, who lived in the street next to the temple. Every day, he would wash the feet of the disciples and treat them to a sumptuous meal, such was his great heart. Once, one of the disciples left this place only to come back later. When Kalikamper continued the service to this disciple, his wife questioned him as to why he would serve one who had left him earlier. In anger, he cuts her hand. Performing penance in front of Pralayakaaleswarar, she gets back her hand. Hence the Lord is also referred to as Kai Vazhangiya Easar.

Continuing the archaka tradition

Karthikeyan Gurukal is continuing the archaka tradition in his family. Over the last 100 years, his father and grand father had performed archaka service in a phase that was not financially lucrative for priests in remote temple towns. His appa had started out at a salary in the low 100s and ended up with around 1000 after several decades of service. 

Once in a while, outstation devotees turn up at the temple for parikara pooja for this is now seen as one for Kettai Star. The good news is that Pradosham has gained importance in Saivite temples as has Krithigai star day in the month. Friday Rahu Kaala pooja is another weekly event that has caught the fancy of devotees. Every Panchami there is a sahasranamam and abhishekam. There is a Go Pooja on the first Friday of every month as well as all the Fridays of Aadi and Thai. And these bring in the much needed additional income to the priest.

The financial returns are not big but he is doing this service to keep it going with his appa having handed it to him to continue this in his lifetime at a temple where Appa received the Soola and Rishabha Muthrai from Pralayakaaleswarar.

The temple is open from 6am to 12noon and 4pm to 9pm

Contact Karthikeyan Gurukal @ 9994088359

Sarangapani Koil Vedantha Desikar Mangalasasanam

The Vadakalai Vaishnavita Acharya goes to 9 different locations on this 9th day of the Avathara Utsavam Celebrations - Energetic and Highly Devotional Sudarshan Bhattar gives it his all for his Acharya

A special feature of the Desikar Utsavam at the Sarangapani Koil in Thiru Kudanthai is that it is celebrated for ten days from Puratasi Shravanam with street procession every morning and evening of the festival.

It is a very quiet Friday (October 10) morning at the temple. There are just a handful of devotees on this ninth day of the Desikar Utsavam. Sudarshan Bhattar, the archaka at the Desikar Sannidhi as well as the Maniyakaarar of the Sarangapani temple is one of the first to arrive ahead of a long day.

ஆரா அமுதே அடியேன் உடலம்  நின்பால் அன்பாயே

நீராய்  அலைந்து கரைய உருக்குகின்ற நெடுமாலே

சீர் ஆர் செந்நெல் கவரி வீசும் செழு நீர் திரு குடந்தை

ஏர் ஆர் கோலம் திகழ கிடந்தாய் கண்டேன் எம்மானே  - Thiruvoimozhi ( 5-8-1)

Contrasted with the huge Kainkaryapara support last week at the Devanathaswamy temple in Thiru Vahindrapuram Divya Desam, there is a severe shortage of personnel at the Sarangapani temple. Sudarshan Bhattar himself takes the Thaligai to the Thayar and Perumal Sannidhi before coming back to the Desikar Sannidhi. The alankaram for the Vaishnavite Acharya has already been done and he is ready for the long procession.

The Prabhandham members arrive at the temple at 9am but they split themselves!!! All of them head to the Perumal Sannidhi for the daily presentation of Thiruppavai while Patrachar alone stays with Vedantha Desikar.

Sudarshan archakar anxiously awaits the arrival of the Sripatham Personnel and about 5 of them turn up after 9am!!! Ramanujam Patrachar heads to the Ramaswamy temple for the first Mangalasasanam on his two wheeler while Sudarshan Bhattar comes along with his acharya on the procession. Over the next few hours he dons multiple roles such is the shortage of personnel. 

During the procession from Sarangapani Koil to Ramaswamy temple, he carries Desikar on his shoulder while on arrival at the Ramar temple, he turns a prabhandham member alongside Patrachar presenting the mangalasasanam with the verses of Kulasekara Azhvaar on Thiru Chitrakoodam.

செந்தளிர்வாய் மலர் நகை சேர் செழுந்தண்  சோலைத் 

தில்லை நகர் திரு சித்திரகூடந் தன்னுள் 

அந்தணர்கள் ஒரு மூவாயிரவர் ஏத்த 

அணிமணி ஆசனத்து இருந்த அம்மான் தானே- Kulasekara Azhvaar

Given the shortage of sripatham personnel, the pradakshinam around the prakara is done away with and Desikar heads to Andavan Ashram after receiving a flower garland and parivattam from Ramar.

Sudarshan Bhattar - Desikar Sannidhi archakar

Sudarshan Bhattar now turns an aradhakar and performs Thiru Aradhana at the Sannidhi at Andavan Ashram before the Mangalasasanam there. Kesari and hot Dhadhyonam is presented to the few Kainkaryaparas and the sripatham personnel before Desikar makes his way to Ahobila Mutt.

It has been an hour and the Sripatham Personnel leave for a cup of tea after placing Desikar inside the Ramanuja temple on Bazaar street. The ninth day is the Mangalasasanam procession of Desikar but there are no devotees in sight. Tirelessly, Sudharshan Bhattar anchors the event on his own in return for which he receives brickbats from the few kainkaryaparas who are in service today with impatience gaining steam at each destination.

The Patrachar Street - Thiru Kudanthai

The procession moves on to Krishna temple on Patrachar street. On this street, which was once upon a time one of the traditional streets of Thiru Kudanthai, there is some cheer as the residents come out of their home to present thattu and have darshan of Vedantha Desikar.

Desikar moves on to the Aathi Varaha temple after a procession around the temple tank. More prasadam is presented. At this temple, there are a few devotees who have darshan of the Vadakalai Vaishnavite Acharya.

                         Govindan Theevatti

Periyazhvaar's verses at Chakrapani temple

It is 11am and heat is taking its toll on the sripatham personnel. Govindan who has performing Theevatti service for decades and retired recently, continues to perform his service. He is too tired to carry as he turns in the opposite direction to the Chakrapani temple and has to be pulled back by Sudarshan Bhattar.

After the presentation of Azhvaar’s verses on ‘Chakrapani’, Desikar heads to his final Mangalasasanam destination – The Rajagopalan temple on Bazaar street, a temple that was renovated by Karunakarachariar. 

He is already present inside the temple. It has become a tradition now for him to organise a Sadas at the Rajagopalan Swamy Sannidhi when Vedantha Desikar makes his way to the temple on this 9th day of the utsavam in Puratasi. Patrachar is keen for the mangalasasanam event to be completed but Karunakarachariar has his way with Patrachar heading back home citing health reasons – he had been at the temple since 8.30am this morning. But before leaving, he had a request for Karunakarachariar. Desikar’s Chariot procession is to take place only after Komalavalli Thayar’s purapadu for this is a Friday. He asked for Karunakarachariar to finish the Sadas early so Desikar could head back to the Sarangapani temple for preparations to be made for the Chariot procession.

The Sadas lasted till 1pm following which Vedantha Desikar made his way back to the Sarangapani temple after a four hour Mangalasasanam outing.

ஆறாத அருள் அமுதம் பொதிந்த கோயில் 

அம்புயத்தோன் அயோத்தி மன்னற்கு அளித்த கோயில் 

தொலாத தனிவீரன் தொழுத கோயில் துணையான வீடணற்கு துணையாம் கோயில் 

சேராத பயன் எல்லாம் சேர்க்கும் கோயில் 

செழுமறையின் முதல் எழுத்து சேர்ந்த கோயில் 

தீராத வினை அனைத்தும் தீர்க்கும் கோயில் 

திருவரங்கம் எனும் கோயில் தானே 

After the huge Saturday crowd at Oppiliappan Koil and the Thursday crowd at Thiruvahindrapuram temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2025/10/thiru-vahindrapuram-puratasi-desikar.html) at the utsavams there over the last two weeks, this 9th day fest of Vedantha Desikar proved to be a dampener. Shortage of personnel, splitting of the Prabhandham group (one taking care of the recital inside the temple and the other going with Desikar on the procession), high pressure on Sudarshan Bhattar to manage everything and a non existent devotee crowd for this Mangalasasanam procession to 6 temples and two Mutts left one to wonder if prarthana and parikara events are the ones that receive attention in temples in smaller towns.

Kudos to the young 32 year old Sudarshan Bhattar ( https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/09/sarangapani-koil-desikar-sannidhi-new.html) for taking a lot on his shoulders and seeing through the entire Mangalasasanam event with a smile.