A doctor by profession and a mridangist by passion but this 47 year old sees the Sthanikar role as a privilege and blessing - a great responsibility passed on from several generations that he wants to discharge with the fullest bhakthi
47 year old P Shiva Prasad is a multi faceted personality. He is an ayurvedic doctor by profession, plays the mridangam as a passion but most importantly considers it a privilege and a blessing to be a descendant of a clan that has been the Sthaanikam at the Thaanumaalaya temple in Suchindram, distinctive for the Shiva, Vishnu and Brahmma's moolavar idols out of one lingam. He had seen this temple from close quarters in the 1980s when he was a school boy during the phase when his appa was a Sthanikar and finds a dramatic change, now, in many aspects related to the temple.
He has taken over the mantle as a Sthanikar in an interesting as well as challenging time for this historic temple. Interesting because devotees who had deserted the temple in the final decades of the previous century are now coming back with a bang but challenging as not all the activities are going as per traditional processes in line with the current trend in temples. And he has had to bear the brunt of the fury on many occasions.
Dr. Shiva Prasad, who had returned from a professional engagement in Malaysia at the beginning after the previous decade, has also had to face criticism from his well wishers for not marketing his ayurvedic clinic and its products. To each one of his critics, he has the same message that his appa repeatedly told him ‘we have never gone out to market ourselves as a clinic or as a temple. Our role is to discharge our responsibility as we see it as our duty and God will take care of us’ he told this writer even as scores of patients are waiting to meet him on this Thursday afternoon in Vaikasi when devotees are flocking the Dakshina Murthy Sannidhi in line with the current trend.
Absence of Agraharam impacts service
He bemoans the vanishing of the once vibrant Agraharam and has an interesting anecdote on the role the original inhabitants played in the centuries gone by “Its like the current social media groups. Like minded people came together in the streets around the temple complex so they could discharge their duties quickly and the poojas could be performed on time and as per process. The priests lived on one street, the garland makers, the pooja product suppliers and other service personnel resided in another and it was all a vibrant environment.”
Changing Trend
At the same time, he accepts the overall changes happening all around us and the consequent trend in the functioning of temples as well ‘During my appa’s time, he only saw folded hands of devotees. Today, the hands are holding the mobile phone at all times including before God. Earlier devotees prostrated in front of God and sought the blessings of the priests. Today they are taking selfies with God during processions.'
Key Service Personnel from three states
It is also a bit of a complicated process at the Thaanumaalaya temple with those from three states involved – pooja krama as per kerala agama, Shivachariars in Tamil Saivite style and the Pothies from Karnataka managing the now popular Hanumar and Vinayaka sannidhis. He points to the celebration of the Hanumar Jayanthi as a case in point “Every month of the year, moolam day sees huge crowd on the occasion of the monthly star of Hanuman. However, the annual Hanumar Jayanthi is celebrated on the No moon day following Karthigai and not on Moolam day."
These are practical on the ground challenges that he has had to face as a Sthanikar.
Crowd is back and so too the grandeur of the utsavams
During his school days in the 1980s, there were very few rose water bottles and butter packets for Hanuman and he would pay Rs. 2 as Sambhavanai to get archaka to perform the archanai. Now the same panneer bottle and butter packets are auctioned. That is a huge change. Today’s world is commercialised and temples too have fallen prey to this trend.
Hoping for Service Personnel to return
There is also a big shortage of service personnel and no replacements are in the offing after retirees leave the temple. In Kerala temples, people don’t use soap at the temple tanks because there are those to monitor but here the shortage has meant that there isn’t enough man power to monitor every single activity, says Dr. Shiva Prasad pointing to a data "service personnel has almost halved from 140 during his appa’s early phase to his time now." As with the Jeer of the Thiru Kurungudi Mutt (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2025/05/thiru-kurungudi-jeer-mega-plans-for-mutt.html), this Sthanikar of the Vattappalli Mutt too is hoping that service personnel will come to the hereditary location to perform the traditional services
Will Kattiyam resume?
In the century gone by, during Shiveli Kattiyam was presented as there was a person specifically assigned for Kattiyam. Shankaracharya’s sloka too was recited at the temple. In recent times with the gaining popularity of Pradoshams, Thevaram verses are being presented and he is hoping that soon Sanaracharya's slokams as well as the Kattiyam too can be brought back to the recital process.
Sthanikar's role
Dr Shiva Prasad belongs to the Vattappalli Mutt and he dons the role of a Sthanikar that includes opening the keys of the Shiva and Perumal Sannidhi. He is also responsible of special poojas for Shiva Shrine and all poojas during the two big festivals in Margazhi and Chitrai. He is also responsible for the poojas during the Maasi Utsavam, Thai Poosam, Shivarathri and Aadi Swathi. It is also Dr Shiva Prasad as the Sthanikar who has to fix the time and date of the festivals.
Sthanikar from another Mutt (Therkumann Mutt) takes care of the Chariot festival and the float and the hoisting of the flag during the festival.
Big Positives
Despite all the challenges on hand, he sees the positive side. With the thronging of devotees, he says that the abhisekams have increased, vaahanas have been refurbished and rebuilt, mandagapadis are on the rise and the Lord is being seen in so many different alankarams. Overall, the grandeur of the utsavam is back. Devotee crowd has grown manifold with the parikara and prarthana model of visiting temples leading them on specific days to Dakshina Murthy Sannidhi, Hanumar Sannidhi, Saneeswarar Sannidhi and the like. It is a different form of Bhakthi from what Dr Shiva Prasad experienced as a school boy in the 1980s but this trend is here to stay and he has come to accept it.
At all times, Sthanikar Dr. Shiva Prasad remembers the lifetime message from his appa that it is a great responsibility 'bestowed on us' and 'we have to discharge it with the fullest Bhakthi.' And that is what this Sthanikar is out to fulfil in times to come.