Sarangapani Koil Chitrai Brahmotsavam Garuda Sevai

Sarangapani and Chakrapani provide joint Garuda Sevai darshan on the fourth day of Chitrai Brahmotsavam at Thiru Kudanthai

           Sarangapani Golden Garuda Sevai

It is a big day in the year at Thiru Kudanthai for Sarangapani and Chakrapani provided joint Garuda Sevai darshan as part of the fourth day of the Chitrai Brahmotsavam at the Sarangapani Koil. For the only period in the year, the utsava deity of Chakrapani Koil makes his way to Sarangapani Koil at the start of the Chitrai Brahmotsavam and stays here through the utsavam.

Those who have visited the Sarangapani Koil a couple of decades ago would have seen the deserted state of the temple but with the devotional wave that is striking TN temples currently, there was a long queue in both the Komalavalli Thayar and the Aravamudhan Moolavar Sannidhi on Saturday evening. 

At the 100 pillared mandapam at the eastern entrance of the temple, the Prabhandham members were reciting the fourth canto of the Thiruvoimozhi  in front of Sarangapani and Chakrapani, both beautifully decorated atop the Golden Garuda Vahana even as another set of devotees lined up in a queue for a darshan of these two utsava deities. 

It is a turnaround of a kind very few would have visualised when not so long ago priests of the temple sat at the entrance awaiting the entry on the next set of devotees that proved elusive.

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)

The grandeur of the alankaram reminded one of Azhvaar’s Praise. Sarangapani and Chakrapan were resplendent with glittering jewellery. A wide ranging tall flower garlands added to the beauty of the two Perumals on this Saturday evening, one when devotees continued to pour into the temple to have joint darshan of Sarangapani and Chakrapani alongside each other. 

செல்வம் மல்கு தென் திருக்குடந்தை

அந்தணர் மந்திர மொழியுடன் வணங்க

ஆடு அரவு அமளியில் அறிதுயில்

அமர்ந்த பரம

                                   Chakrapani atop Golden Garuda Vahana

In front of the Azhvaars Sannidhi, Maniyakarar of the temple Sudarshan distributed prasadam to devotees and there was a long queue here as well!!!

After deeparathanai, Sripatham personnel carried Sarangapani and Chakrapani one after another through the eastern Raja Gopuram to the Sannidhi street where old time residents presented thattu. Thus far despite the large sized crowd, everything was seemingly under control though the start of the procession was delayed by 90 minutes from the schedule listed in the utsavam invitation.

At the east end of the Sannidhi street, things turned chaotic with no one in control. Vehicles moved in from all sides creating a traffic jam with Sarangapani Perumal not able to move on to the Chapparam. The few police personnel who accompanied the procession remained silent spectators for much of the next three hours. The priests have limited say on such occasions in such remote temple towns these days and they watched in disbelief at the chaotic scenario in front of the newly renovated chariot. The Prabhandham members were ready for the Thodakkam and they too watch the events unfold with every car and van wanted to move forward first paying scant respect for the waiting perumal and two wheelers playing their role as well as they tried to squeak by. Amid this chaos, a two wheeler rider with a loud speaker added to the confusion announcing the chariot procession later next week (April 30) asking devotees to come forward and participate!!!

For a HRCE temple, there were no officials on show at the procession to manage the traffic issues at the start of the procession.

Clock had now ticked to well past 9pm and finally Sarangapani Perumal made his way on to the Olai Chapparam followed by Chakrapani Perumal allowing for the Prabhandham members to start their presentation of the Naangam Thiruvanthathi and they moved ahead after the initial verses but for the Olai Chapparam, the procession was beset with problems. The revered Soundar Bhattar who takes interest in decorating the Lord during Garuda Sevai was seen with his grandchild initiating the young one into devotion at an early stage in life.

No one had taken proactive steps regarding the overhead wires and the tall chariot like chapparam knocked off these wires in multiple places during the procession. A Car parked haphazardly on the North Ramaswamy Sannidhi street led to another stoppage with the Sripatham members pulling up the car by their hand and moving it aside. Here too, the police remained mute spectators.

வாரா வருவாய் வரும் என் மாயா மாயா மூர்த்தியாய் 

ஆரா அமுதாய் அடியேன் ஆவி அகமே தித்திப்பாய் 

தீரா வினைகள் தீர என்ன ஆண்டாய் திருக்குடந்தை 

ஊரா உனக்கு ஆள் பட்டும் அடியேன் இன்னம் உழல்வேனோ 

CUB Founder has darshan

A surprise visitor near the Ramaswamy temple was N Kamakodi, Founder Descendent, CUB, who this month is stepping down as the MD. He and his team were present in good numbers to have darshan of Sarangapani and Chakrapani after attending a wedding reception of a colleague on that street (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/04/n-kamakodi-city-union-bank.html).

 

Past 10pm, the procession moved on to west street and there was more chaos in front of the Hanumar temple. The utsava deity of Hanumar came out on a Pallakku offering his mariyathai and moved ahead but unfortunately, the two Perumals could not for the shops in front of the temple blocked the path of the Chapparam. For over 15 minutes, the Sripatham Personnel worked hard to bring down the overhead sheets that were protruding out preventing the chapparam from moving forward. Some proactive steps earlier in the evening could have prevented this knocking down. Only last month, this section had featured a story on similar issues at the Olai Chapparam Kal Garuda procession at Nachiyar Koil.

After a stopover at the Ramanuja Sannidhi, the procession moved on to the TSR Big Street, one named after the legendary founder of TSR & Co (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/tsr-co-legendary-enterpreneur_19.html). Devotees showed great devotional strength late into the night to remain through the three hours of the procession to pull the Chapparam with a rope.

It was close to midnight when when the procession made its way back to the Sarangapani Koil Sannidhi street with the sripatham personnel carrying the two Perumals from inside the Olai Chapparam to the temple where the Prabhandham members presented the Satru Murai of the Naangaam Thiruvanthathi verses.

For their mighty three-hour effort, the Sripatham were presented with Puliyotharai and Dhadhyonam even as the priests began the exercise of unmounting the two Perumals from the Garuda Vahana at the 100 Pillared Mandapa. It was 1.30am when Sarangapani and Chakrapani provided Ekantha Sevai in a procession to the Kannadi Arai with almost all the devotees heading back home after participating in pulling the Chapparam and feeling blessed to have had this opportunity on a Joint Garuda Sevai evening. 

For maniyakarar Sudarshan there was still work to be done on the night. Well past 130am, he had to bring thaligai for artha jaana pooja!!!

Srirangam KSB Sampath Bhattar@80

High on Devotional Energy and fully committed to 'devotee happiness', this Octogenarian Bhattar is focusing all his attention on serving Ranganathaswamy and Ranganayaki Thayar in this second phase of his life

K Sampath Bhattar (KSB to those in the temple circles) celebrated his 80th birthday all alone at the Ranganayaki Thayar Sannidhi (he lost his wife 8 years ago and does not have a child). He is now in his 25th year of service at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam and is enjoying every minute of it. After an engineering degree, he joined the Bhabha Atomic Energy in the late 1960s while his appa the renowned Krishnan Bhattar was continuing the hereditary archaka service at the Srirangam temple. It was a quiet phase for temples in Tamil Nadu as seen in many previous stories in this section and that led Sampath Bhattar to take to a career in the corporate space.

After 7 years at the Atomic Energy research in Bombay, there rose an opportunity at BHEL Trichy and he moved back to his home town in 1977, where he continued to work for over two decades.

கங்குலும் பகலும் கண்துயில் அறியால் 

கண்ண நீர் கைகளால் இறைக்கும் 

சங்கு சக்கரங்கள் என்று கை கூப்பும் 

தாமரைக் கண் என்றே தளரும் 

எங்கனே தரிக்கேன் உன்னைவிட்டுட்டு  என்னும் 

இரு நிலம் கை துழா இருக்கும் 

செங்கயல் பாய் நீர்த் திருவரங்கத்தாய் 

இவள் திறத்து என் செய்கின்றாயே 

Always prompt in his presence at Kainkaryam

It is a very hot summer’s day in Srirangam but KSB is at the Ranganayaki Thayar sharp at 9am on this Wednesday (April 22) morning, the day of Ramanuja’s annual Thiru Nakshatram. When he has archaka service at the Kaattu Azhagiya Singar Koil, east of Srirangam, he is there at 4.25pm to welcome the devotees into the Sannidhi right on the dot at 4.30pm. When this writer asked him shortly after his 80th birthday on that evening at Singar Koil, KSB replied in the same way that he has seen his archaka service since the time he took over 25 years ago “I had been in the corporate space for well over two decades and the divine couple brought me back to the temple in the 2nd half of my life. There are only a select few who have been blessed with the opportunity to touch and serve them in this legendary Divya Desam. I have been one of those chosen few and I have to consider that the greatest gift I have secured in this life. On your service day, you have to consider Perumal and Thayar as your own child and take care of him/her in a way you would take care of your child.”

Positive words - Focus on Devotee Happiness

On this Summer’s day in April, he places the Shatari on the devotee non stop for two hours without a break with his favourite blessing ‘Ayushman Bhava’, ‘Sumangali Bhava’…. At 80, does he not get physically tired of this “The devotees enter the temple with different kinds of challenges and they are looking to head back from the Sannidhi with happiness.  An archaka blessing with the Shatari gives them that positive feel and I feel I am duty bound to provide them with that joy.”

Way back in 1999, his amma lay on his lap after drinking the morning coffee and soon passed away that had his showering lavish praise on him “My appa told me that I had served my amma as a dutiful son and hence she passed away quietly by my side.”

Wife's Invaluable contribution

A few years later, his appa Krishna Bhattar too passed away leaving KSB and his wife all alone at their home on North Chitra Street. His wife’s passing away in 2018 was a big blow to him and he recalls her invaluable contribution to this writer sitting in front of the Ranganayaki Thayar Sannidhi “As a youngster, I was timid and lacked a bit of confidence because of my squint eye. My wife was well educated and forward looking. It was she who boosted my confidence and lifted my spirit when others would pull me down pointing to my physical shortcoming. It was her consistent messages day in day out that helped me perform my service with confidence.”

Divine Couple's blessing -Rise to the top

When he came back to archaka service after a VRS at BHEL, his colleagues at the temple would often rag him like one would of a newly joined college student “I had learned the Agama for over 5 years but then I had been in corporate service for a few decades and away from the daily kainkaryam. Hence when I took over the reigns from my appa, I had to encounter numerous challenges with many questioning my ability to perform the traditional activities of an archaka.”

உந்திமேல் நான் முகனைப் படைத்தான் 

உலகுண்டவன் எந்தை பெம்மான்

 இமையோர்கள் தாதைக்கு இடம் என்பரால் 

சந்தினோடு மணியும் கொழிக்கும் புனல் காவிரி 

அந்திப்போலும் நிறத்தார் வயல் சூழ் தென் அரங்கமே 

When he joined the archaka service, he was at the bottom of the list as a newcomer in his 50s!!! He recounts how he shot up the archaka ladder in the decade after. “I told myself that I could perform the  Thirumanjanam in the most traditional way and I did that. Adyayana Utsavam is a big challenge and Namperumal stood by me and gave me the confidence that I could handle this too. As time went by, I managed the Yaaga Salai,  Theppotsavam and Pavitrotsavam.”

When an occasion warranted, he performed Thirumanjanam thrice on a single day. 

From a 30th ranked Bhattar, he shot up the list in a short period of time. A fortnight from today, he will be the Raksha Bandana Bhattar at the Chitrai Brahmotsavam that starts on May 6 “I performed a hattrick of this at the Chitrai Brahmotsavam and till date have donned the role of Raksha Bandana Bhattar 7 times. I have also performed the Theerthavari over a dozen times. And been the anchor Bhattar at the Pavitrotsavam as well.”

Dikshai to upcoming next gen Bhattars

He has performed Dikshai for many of the upcoming bhattars at the Srirangam temple and it is with his blessings that the next generation of bhattars have taken to archaka service at this temple.

Credits the Divine Couple for standing by him everyday

Repeatedly turning his face towards Ranganayaki Thayar, he reiterates the point that as an archaka ‘I have to realise that it is all her blessings. I cannot chest thump that I have achieved something in life all of my own. When I took over from my appa, Perumal and Thayar accepted me and guided me every single day and kept me grounded. I have been given an opportunity to perform this kainkaryam and I have seen as my duty to discharge this function as devotionally as possible and in as committed a way that I can’.

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

Unflinching faith in Divine Couple

At 80, KSB is physically and mentally energetic and there is a lot of positive vibration when he is at the Perumal and Thayar Sannidhi. He continues to make the trip to the east end of Srirangam to serve as an archaka at the Singar Koil where the devotee crowd has shot up dramatically. KSB has also been bestowed with the responsibility of letting go off the arrow on the Vijayadasami evening when Namperumal is at the Singar Koil.

With the growing number of Bhattars, there are those looking for additional kainkaryam days. KSB has always been happy to hand over his Kainkaryam to the next gen Bhattars for them to take forward the service into the next phase. He says that the Divine Couple has taken care of him well in this life and that he has thoroughly enjoyed this experience of serving as a priest at the Ranganathaswamy temple over the last 25 years.

High Devotional Commitment @ 80

He has finished the Uchi Kaala pooja and the Mangalaarathi at the Ranganayaki Sannidhi. With the clock ticking to 1.30pm, this energetic Octogenarian Bhattar, who has been at the Sannidhi for over 4 hours refuses the drop offered by this writer instead choosing his own way back home in the scorching hot sun, a day ahead of the TN assembly elections. It is that self confidence to handle himself and to perform his duty to the best of his ability that has kept him in good spirits at this age. He continues to keep himself abreast of the atomic scenario in the country but outside of this his whole life at 80 centers around Ranganathaswamy and Ranganayaki Thayar. He came back to the Ranganathaswamy temple almost as a novice 25 years ago and with the grace  and blessing of the Divine Couple he has been able to continue this Kainkaryam into his 80th year.

Thenthiruperai Ananthu Bhattar Consecration Anchor

A major milestone for this 'one of a kind' Bhattar

On his fourth consecration event at the Thenthiruperai Divya Desam, Ananthu Bhattar will finally be anchoring the consecration as the 'Pradhana' Archaka next week

He is past 50 and has been at the Makara Nedung Kuzhai Kaathan temple in Thenthiruperai as the lead archaka for almost three decades now. And unlike most priests in Tamil Nadu, he remains unchanged. He does not use the mobile phone inside the Sannidhi. He is not into social media though those around him in Nava Tirupathi are fully into that. He does not send photos and videos to devotees. During every Brahmotsavam over the last 25 years, he has not gone back home for ten days sleeping inside the temple during the period of the annual utsavam in Panguni. Ananthu (Thiruvenkatathan) Bhattar stands apart as a priest conducting himself as one should as a Divya Desam Bhattar. 

In this phase, he has rarely participated in events outside of this temple and has dedicated himself full time in service of Makara Nedung Kuzhai Kaathan keeping himself away from financial temptations and the lure of 'lucrative' opportunities in other temple events. During his entire service, he has ensured that the thattu kaasu is shared each day with all the kainkaryaparas at the temple including sweepers and mei kavalars, a model that is not followed in any other temple.

Having joined the temple in the 1990s, it took Ananthu Bhattar almost 25 years to be confirmed as a full time priest on the rolls of the HRCE!!! He neither took this up with the HRCE nor with TVS’ Venu Srinivasan, who has taken care of the Nava Tirupathi temples since the mid 1990s, instead choosing to silently perform the daily Thiru Aradhanam and managing the utsavams as expected of a Bhattar. For a large part of 25 years, he was paid  a monthly salary below Rs. 1000 and not once did he complain though he had two!!!!

வெள்ளைச் சூரி சங்கொடு ஆழி ஏந்தி 

தாமரைக்கு கண்ணன் என் நெஞ்சினூடே 

புன்னைக் காடாகின்ற ஆற்றைக் காணீர் 

என் சொல்லிச் சொல்லுகேன் அன்னைமீர்காள் 

வெள்ளச் சுகம் அவன் வீற்றிருந்த 

வேத ஒலியும் விழா ஒலியும் 

பிள்ளைக குழா விளையாட்டு ஒலியும் ஆறாத் 

திருப்பேரெயில் சேர்வான் நானே - Thiruvoimozhi ( 7.3.1)

A week from now, consecration will take place next Wednesday at the Makara Nedung Kuzhai Kaathan temple and it will be Ananthu Bhattar’s fourth consecration at this Divya Desam. But what makes this one a major milestone in his archaka service career of three decades is that this will be the first one that he will be anchoring as a 'Pradhana' archaka at a temple where he has served since the 1990s. In the first two consecrations- in the mid 1990s and the early 2000s, he could not anchor as he was still a Brahmachari. In the third one a dozen years ago, his wife was pregnant with their second child and hence he missed out on anchoring that one as well. 

Finally the 'Pradhana' archaka at the Consecration

For any priest, anchoring a consecration at his home temple is considered as a recognition of his service and an important moment in a Kainkaryam as an archaka. On this fourth consecration that he is participating at the Thenthiruperai Divya Desam, Ananthu Bhattar will finally be anchoring the event as the ‘Pradathana’ archaka. Having missed out on the earlier three consecrations, he is now all excited to finally be blessed with the opportunity to anchor the consecration at a temple where he has given his all for almost three decades for very minimal financial returns.

TVS’ Venu Srinivasan is once again taking care of the renovation works, something he has done at all Nava Tirupathi temples since the mid 1990s (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/07/venu-srinivasan-historical-temples.html).

Earlier this month, Ananthu Bhattar spent over ten days at the Thenthiruperai temple not going back home on any of the days of the panguni brahmostavam. And now he will stay put once again inside the temple once the homam event starts next week and will not head back home till the consecration event is complete. Such is the commitment of this Bhattar!!!

Consecration at the Makara Nedung Kuzhai Kaathan Divya Desam will take place next Wednesday April 29  between 9.30am and 10.30am with Garuda Sevai procession of Nigaril Mugil Vannan in the evening after 5.30pm.

A 2021 story on Ananthu Bhattar: https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/12/thenthiruperai-ananthu-bhattar.html

Nidamangalam Santhanaramar Koil Azhvaar Acharya Utsavams Revival

Celebrating Desikar, Ramanujar and the Azhvaars

Narayanan Bhattar drives revival of Acharya and Azhvaar utsavams after several decades

15 years ago, when Narayanan Bhattar quit the Ramar temple in Tambaram to take over the reigns of archaka service from his appa, the Santhanaramar temple in Nidamangalam was in a dilapidated state. Most of the utsavams had stopped. Almost all the original traditional inhabitants had left this town to larger cities in search of greener pastures. There were no devotees at the temple. Narayanan Bhattar had been earning well at the temple in Chennai and he returned to Nidamangalam for a monthly salary of just over Rs. 1000.

He had a lot of experience in handling devotees at the temple in Chennai and was determined to turnaround the fortunes of this temple but he found it a bigger challenge than he had visualised. He had to double up as the cook at the madapalli too straddling between providing darshan to the few devotees who were beginning to turn up at the Ramar Sannidhi and to managing the boiling Pongal at the sacred kitchen.

The physical infrastructure was restored through support from devotees and consecration performed. During this period, he also revived the annual utsavams including the vahana processions at the Panguni Brahmotsavam.

The temple is said to date back to the Chozha period with the Garbha Graha having existed then but the current structure goes back to the late 18th century and the construction by the Thanjavur king Pratap Simha.

The Lord appeared in the dreams of the King and asked him to look for an idol of Ramar at this location. The King and his wife Rani Yamunambal were childless. He came here and found the idol beneath the eart. After invoking the blessings of the Lord, she gave birth to a child. Hence the Lord is referred to as Santhana Ramar, a unique name for Lord Rama. This location was historically referred to as Yamunambal Puram. 

The belief is that those who invoke the blessings of Lord Rama and Sita Devi will be blessed with a child. Every Rohini, there is a Putra Santhana Gopala homam. This is a very special event at the temple and devotees visit in good numbers on the Rohini day every month.

Muthuswamy Dikshithar has presented a song in praise of Santhanaramar in Hindola Vasantha Ragam. The famous Tavil Vidwan Meenakshi Sundaram belonged to this place. 

After recovering from a knee surgery a couple of years ago, Narayanan Bhattar has this month revived the monthly Thirumanjanam for Thiru Mangai Azhvaar on the Karthigai day in Chitrai through support from a Bangalore based devotee. Just over a fortnight from now, he is also planning to revive the monthly Thirumanjanam for Vedantha Desikar on the Shravanam day in Chitrai through a support from a Chennai based devotee. These are two big milestones in his service as an archaka at the Santhanaramar temple for these events had long stopped and he did not visualise a revival of these.

On Sunday (April 19) morning, he came to the temple early in the morning to prepare Kesari and Puliyotharai ahead of the Thirumanjanam for Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. Through a tech savvy college student, Narayanan Bhattar has been updating details of the upcoming utsavams and that has led to local devotees making it to the temple to experience the Thirumanjanam that this generation of residents in Nidamangalam had not experienced.

At 9am, in the presence of a few local devotees, he began the Thirumanjanam of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. Being all alone at the temple, he also trebled up as a vedic member and a prabhandham member reciting Periyazhvaar's verse on the oil bath

வெண்ணெய் அலைந்த குணுங்கும் 

விளையாடு புழுதியும் கொண்டு .....

எண்ணெய் புலிப் பழம் கொண்டு

எத்தனை போதும் இருந்தேன்

On a hot Sunday morning, he cooled Thiru Mangai Azhvaar with Coconut water, Sandalwood Paste, Tumeric Paste and Panchamritham.

காயய்சின நீரோடு நெல்லி கடாரத்தில் 

பூரித்து வைத்தேன்………………………….. 

மஞ்சளும் செங்கழுநீரின் வாசிகையும் 

நாறு சாந்தும் அஞ்சனமும் கொண்டு வைத்தேன் - Periyazhvaar on Oil Bath

Much to the delight of the local devotees, he also took Sankalpam from each of them and presented an archanai. An hour later, he handed over Puliyotharai and Kesari to the devotees who were all praise of the commitment of Narayana Bhattar in the way he has gone about reviving the utsavams without too much physical support.

While in Phase 1 of his taking over the reigns from his appa, he saw to the restoration of the physical infrastructure and the revival of the big annual utsavams, in this current phase, after his own recovery from a knee surgery, he is committing himself to revival the azhvaar and archarya utsavams so these legends are remembered at least once a month on their star birthdays and their verses presented on these days. And days such as the one today with a Thirumanjanam and Garuda Sevai procession on the occasion of Akshaya Trithiyai.

It is through the efforts of committed priests such as Narayana Bhattar that remote temples in Tamil Nadu are continuing to survive with the historical events being organised as best as possible in the scenario that exits today.

The temple is open from 7am-11am and 5pm-8pm. Contact: Narayanan Bhattar @ 94448 54208.

Srirangam JC Sivaram Kumar 2nd Panguni Serthi Sevai

A strong Damodara Krishnan Gopuram will be reopened next month

The Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam is the first Perumal Koil that Sivaram Kumar has served as a JC of the HRCE. This month he completes a year at the temple and is fresh on the back of his second serthi sevai that he has witnessed.  Just ahead of his taking charge, this section had featured a story on what lay in store for the Srirangam temple under his leadership (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2025/03/srirangam-temple-new-jc-sivaram-kumar.html). 

பேரானை, குறுங்குடி எம் பெருமானை

திருதண்கால் ஊரானை, கரமபனுர் உத்தமனை

முத்து இலங்கு கார் ஆர் திண் கடல் ஏழும் 

மலை ஏழ்இவ் உலகு ஏழ் உண்டு

ஆராது என்று இருந்தாளைக் 

கண்டது தென் அரங்கத்தே

Earlier, this section had featured two stories in 2023/24 as to how he took bold developmental initiatives at the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram. In fact he was the one who turned around the cleanliness of the temple town ahead of the visit of the PM. The buzz had gone around after the PM’s visit on the cleanliness drive that an IAS officer wanted to visit the temple to see if this was indeed true for Rameswaram is known for devotees and visitors throwing garbage all around that has been for long a nightmare for the temple authorities (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/05/dhanushkodi-rama-temple-shiva-lingam.html).

But when he was posted back to Srirangam (he had earlier served for a couple of months prior to this transfer to Rameswaram), he was apprehensive given the huge challenges that the temple authorities had been facing in the past. In a way he was a reluctant entrant to the temple taking charge from Mariappan who moved to the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai. Nevertheless, he was confident that he would discharge his duty with sincerity in the same way that he had in the past in other temples. 

For a start, he talks about the almost unbearable summer heat. "At Rameshwaram, the sea breeze would set in and it was not as bad as here" JC Sivaram Kumar tells this writer on a hot Friday in April.

ஏனாகி உலகிடந்து அன்று இருநிலனும் பெரு விசும்பும் 

தானாய பெருமானை தன்னடியார் மனத்தென்றும் 

தேனாகி அமுதாகித் திகழ்ந்தானை 

மகிழ்ந்தொருகால் 

ஆனாயன் ஆனானை கண்டது தென் அரங்கத்தே

Panguni Utsavam 2025

His first experience of the Panguni Brahmotsavam at the Ranganathaswamy temple was magical “I found that the processes had been laid out centuries ago and those were being followed almost by all the Kainkaryaparas. Interestingly, I found local devotees coming back multiple times each day for darshan, unlike the other temples where I had served. They also accompanied Perumal through the street procession, another feature that I had not seen at the Ramanathaswamy temple.”

He found devotee donors coming forward to support the utsavam in terms of providing fans, air coolers and water bottles for it was peak summer at that time. The Serthi Sevai night too went almost as per plan in 2025 and overall it had been a new and enjoyable experience for JC Sivaram Kumar.

In the year gone by, a lot of his focus has been on recoveries and he has been able to secure back a lot of the lands belonging to the temple. And he continues to focus on this aspect and is confident that into the near future, a lot more temple lands will be secured back for the temple with him taking proactive steps on this front.

Transformational system on Vaikunta Ekadasi day

The Adyayana Utsavam was another big milestone in his career as a HRCE chief heading a temple. For the first time, he introduced a RFID Hologram based entry system for devotees visiting during the Vaikunta Ekadasi day. This process ensured that no devotee could enter the temple twice on the day as the RFID system tracked the entry and exit of devotees. 

But he was shocked to note that there were local devotees who tried to bypass even this so called secure system. “There were those who tried to photocopy the entry pass without knowing that the RFID system would not permit a photocopied hologram based ticket and over 20 of them were caught and handed to the police for trespassing” JC Sivaram Kumar told this writer on how the introduction of RFID during the Vaikunta Ekadasi utsavam turned to be foolproof.

Overall, there was appreciation this year of the crowd management services during this utsavam with devotees by and large being happy with the way the Vaikunta Ekadasi day went in terms of them having darshan.

Non stop Petitions and Notices

One thing that has struck him about the Ranganathaswamy temple over the last 12 months has been the way that notices and petitions have been sent to him quite recklessly on issues within the temple. “There is a God watching over you from a few yards away and yet I have received petitions that have left me wondering about the intent of the petitioners and their Bhakthi to Ranganathaswamy” says Sivaram Kumar.

A much delayed Chariot Procession - Panguni 2026

Into the final week of March, he experienced his second Panguni Utsavam at this legendary Perumal Koil. While a large part of the utsavam went as per plan including crowd management, an undue delay on the Serthi Sevai night leading to a late departure on the morning of April 1 to the Chariot left him fuming.  Fingers were pointed at different people on this delay leaving Sivaram Kumar wondering as to the Bhakthi of the Kainkaryaparas as to why someone would be a reason to delay the programme and the event schedule.

The Chariot procession starting after 10am and returning past 2pm did not leave him pleased.  But he has put that behind and is looking into the year ahead. 

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 

Reopening East Adayavalanjan Gopuram

The restoration work at the Damadora Krishnan Gopuram that has remained shut for a few years now is nearing completion. JC Sivaram Kumar is happy with the way the restoration exercise has gone “The restored Gopuram will now be so strong that it will last another several hundred years such has been the quality of work with Ilaippu wood even being brought from Burma. I expect the Gopuram to be reopened to traffic next month.”

That will be great news for the devotees from the East of Srirangam who have been put to great discomfort over the last few years. Also, those heading to Kaattu Azhagiya Singar Koil, East of the Srirangam Railway station will also find the reopening as a big positive for the passage from the Vellai Gopuram to Singar Koil will now be a straight route like it had been for centuries without the diversion that devotees have experienced in the recent past.

Sivaram Kumar also has words of praise for devotee donor VS Jayabal in the way he has gone about the construction of the new Raja Gopuram on the Northern side of the Pundarikaksha temple in Thiru Vellarai and the beautiful huge Nandavanam that has come at that Divya Desam. 

JC Sivaram Kumar is also keen on taking action against the violations relating to certain construction of tall buildings around the temple complex. He also has devotional views on the repeated 'notices and petitions' that reach his table almost every other day and he has a solution on offer to these. But that will be for another day and another story.

Oppiliappan Koil Panguni Brahmotsavam Vedu Pari

On the 8th day of the Panguni Brahmotsavam, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar's Vedu Pari was enacted on the banks of the river at Ayyavadi

It was the 8th evening of the Panguni Brahmotsavam at Oppiliappan Koil, one dedicated to Thiru Mangai Azhvaar who sang 30 verses of praise on Thiru Vinnagar Divya Desam. The Vaishnavite enlightenment received by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar on the Vedu Pari night was enacted on the banks of the river at Ayyavadi, 1 km South of Oppiliappan Koil on Saturday (April 11).

துறப்பேன் அல்லேன் இன்பம் துறவாது 

நின் உருவம் மறப்பேன் அல்லேன் என்றும் மறவாது 

யான் உலகில் பிறப்பேன் ஆக எண்ணேன் பிறவாமை பெற்றது 

நின் திறத்தேன் ஆதன்மையால் திருவிண்ணகரானே 

The Motorised Pull

The Prabhandham members had gathered earlier in the evening in front of the alankaram mandapam and presented the sacred verses. Soon after the Satru Murai verses that took place at 630pm and the distribution of prasadam, Vedantha Desikar led the procession with the HRCE staff driving the tractor that pulled the deities with Srinivasa Perumal, on a silver horse vahana and Bhoo Devi thayar following the Vaishnavite Acharya.

It is a sign of the changing times at remote temples in Tamil Nadu. From the time not so long ago when sripatham personnel carried the Lord on their shoulders, it has come to a phase when a motorised vehicle is pulling multiple deities even during the Brahmotsavam.

It was a slow start to the procession with the heat generating lights being installed on the Perumal and Thayar chapparams. Every house on the Sannidhi street presented thattu welcoming the Lord into their home. And there were more of those on the East and South streets. 

There was no prabhandham Ghoshti thodakkam at the east end of the sannidhi street like it usually is during the brahmotsavam for this evening is to be Thiru Mangai Azhvaar's and the enactment of the Vedu Pari event would lead to the start of the Periya Thirumozhi verses.

The Vedic members followed Perumal reciting the Vedic verses.

Onto the Nachiyar Koil road towards Ayyavadi, rocket shots into the sky alerted the residents of the arrival of Perumal and Thayar. By 8pm, devotees had gathered on the banks of the river at Ayyavadi awaiting the arrival of Vedantha Desikar, Perumal and Thayar. While the three deities arrived shortly after 8pm, the devotees were kept occupied by rocket shots and fire crackers that went on unabated.

முளிந்தீந்த வெம்கடத்து மூரிப் பெருங்களிற்றால் 

விளிந்தீந்த மா மரம்போல் வீழ்ந்தாரை  நினையாதே 

 அளிந்தோர்நத சிந்தை நின்பால் அடியேற்கு 

வானுலகம் தெளிந்தே என்றெய்வது திருவிண்ணகரானே 

Kainkaryaparas await Thiru Mangai Azhvaar

It was a longish wait with nobody seeming to be in control of the event on this evening with the sensitivities at the temple being played out. The sripatham let go off the rockets that lit up the sky for almost half hour. The Kainkaryaparas brought in fruits and those were place in front of the deities. Tarpaulins were rolled on the side of the road for Nadaswaram artistes to sit and play. Near them the devotees too took to their seat.  It was 8.30pm when a fresh bursting of fire crackers indicated the arrival of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar for the Vedu Pari enactment. He went around Srinivasa Perumal thrice before taking up his position opposite the Lord.

Vedu Pari legend

Mangai Mannan of Thiru Kuraiyalur fell in love with the beautiful Kumudavalli of Annan Koil. Wanting to get him initiated into the devotional path, Kumudavalli laid tough ‘wedding’ conditions, one of which was to feed 1008 Vaishnavites every day. Mangai Mannan, in this attempt, lost a lot of his wealth but determined to fulfil her conditions and win her heart, he turned a thief and resorted to ‘stealing’.

One night, Mangai Mannan way laid a newly married couple at Veda Raja Puram near Thiruvali Thirunagari and threatened to lash out his spear even going to the extent of trying to bite and remove the expensive anklets. Having packed the jewellery into a sack, he was unable to lift the bag and wondered if the person in front of him wielded a magic mantra. It was then that the couple displayed their real character. The thief of a few minutes ago received enlightenment and transformed into a Saint Poet. It was after this episode that he went on to contribute over 1200 verses in the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham with Vadinen Vaadi Varunthinen as his first decad.

Respects to the evening's hero

Following the parivattam to the hero of the evening, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar, the sthalathar of the temple, Kutti Kannan (Veeraraghavan) read the specifics of the jewels of Perumal and Thayar to confirm that they were in fact intact and that the thief of the evening who turned into a Vaishnavite Saint Poet had not taken away anything. 

It was after the Vedu Pari event that Thiru Mangai Azhvaar had presented the first verses of the Periya Thirumozhi on how he had gone the wrong path in the past and that he was looking to Lord Narayana as his only solace in life.

வாடினேன் வாடி வருந்தினேன் மனத்தால் 

பெருந்துயர் இடும்பயில் பிறந்து 

கூட்டினேன் கூடி இளையவர் தம்மோடு 

அவர் தரும் கலவியே கருதி 

ஓடினேன் ஓடி உய்வதோர் பொருளால் 

உணர்வெனும் பெரும் பதம் தெரிந்து 

நாடினேன் நாடி நான் கண்டுகொண்டேன் 

நாராயணா என்னும் நாமம் 

After the presentation of the first decad of Periya Thirumozhi and with the clock ticking past 9pm, Thaligai and Deepaarathanai was presented on the banks of the river. Thiru Mangai Azhvaar then made his way back much faster than he came with the motorised tractor pulling the three deities following him back to the temple bringing to end the Vedu Pari utsavam at Oppiliappan Koil.

Sekar Babu 5 years TN Temples Glory

A non GOD believing Govt but a slogging tireless man at the helm takes consecration to an all time high

It is exactly a fortnight to go for the TN Assembly elections. Tamil Nadu has seen a five year rule where the Government in power did not believe in the existence of God and saw the idols inside temples as just simple stones. But the Government in power had a man at the helm of the HRCE department who with a chequered history has gone on to become the most ‘in your face’ man over the last five years as he has taken advantage of the devotional wave that has swept the TN temples and gone one to create a record on the consecration front.

His Personal Devotion manifests in many temples

PK Sekar Babu would sit quietly near the Dwajasthambam at the Parthasarathy Perumal Koil temple in Thiruvallikeni invoking the blessings of Parthasarathy and Narasimha with his eyes closed with his team members not knowing when their boss’s eyes will open. Not far away at the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore, one praised in the same verse as Thiruvallikeni by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar, he would hush away HRCE staffers to listen to every issue raised by every day devotees of Karpagambal assuring them that their problems will be looked into.

Almost a 1000 kms away at the Kulasekara Azhvaar Rajagopalaswamy temple in Mannar Koil, near Ambasamudram, he would ask all his team members to stay away from VIP darshan allowing the priest/acharya at the temple to show him the way and act as per the traditions at the temple. When the low salary of that priest was brought to his notice by this writer, he immediately increased in manifold while at the same time pointing out that this was not possible across the thousands of temples and that each would have to be governed by the income of the respective temple.

Sekar Babu has his detractors and many at that who have continuously hit out at him during this five year stint but unmindful of the non-stop criticism he has gone about his work in a way none of his predecessors have over the last many decades.

Goes after 'Consecration Target' aggressively

It is normal for those at the top of the leadership board in corporates to have sales and profit targets and that is something the shareholders of the company keep a close watch on. But Sekar Babu at the beginning of this stint as the HRCE minister set out a huge target for himself in the restoration of ancient temples and remote ones at that.

The second half of the previous decade was one marked by a sharp decline in renovations following the High court order restraining restoration activities in temples. The application for repair works came tumbling down and at its low it had touched a level of just 500. This section has written many stories on how consecration did not take place for several decades in many temples in the previous century. 

Even in the temple as renowned as the Azhagiya Nambi Rayar Divya Desam in Thiru Kurungudi the first full fledged consecration took place last month after a gap of over 110 years driven by various factors including financial.

Sekar Babu set a stiff target of performing over 4000 consecrations during his reign as the HRCE minister and went about this aggressively. Contrasted with the apprehension relating to renovation activities in the previous phase about which this section had featured a story in 2019 (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/02/renovation-issues-in-tn-temples.html), he went about restoration exercises aggressively. While the very existence of God was questioned on one side, he took it upon himself to anchor the consecration events and create a positive vibration inside temples.

 In the decade or two prior, not many even in the temple circles had ever seen the HRCE minister but Sekar Babu made it a point to visit every temple small and big, city and remote. He was there physically on important occasions keeping his staffers on their toes. At the HRCE headquarters as this writer noticed  during his reign, the staff had to be update on every pending matter for he had it on his finger tips. Applications for renovations were approved quickly and with devotee donors queuing up to contribute to temples, the authorities took to renovation exercises with sharp deadlines. 

For example, at the Srinivasa Perumal temple in Nachiyar Koil, now globally renowned for Kal Garuda Sevai, a mega restoration exercise was completed in a year.

Consecrations help Kainkaryaparas

Even for the detractors - the Brahmin Kainkaryaparas at thousands of temples in the state- there seemed to a positive turnaround in their fortunes. By 2026, Sekar Babu had beaten his target that any CEO of a corporate firm would have been proud of. Under his leadership, consecration has been performed in 4500 temples in TN, an unprecedented number.

Consecrations are largely through devotee donors. The income through hundi collection too are through devotees as well. What Sekar Babu has done is to leverage the heightened interest among devotees to participate in events and utsavams and to improve the physical infrastructure at temples and revive utsavams.

What did this mean to the Kainkaryaparas. Every consecration was preceded by 2-3-4 day homam event with recital of the vedic and sacred verses being an integral part of it. Hundreds of Kainkaryaparas benefitted financially in a big way from every such consecration event( this too through devotee donors). The Priests of remote temples about whom this section has featured stories in the past, have all benefitted through the restoration exercises. There are priests and their team members who have participated in 100s of such consecration events in this phase. 

Huge Crowd throng temples

The 4500 consecration events have seen the return of positive vibration in temples with devotees especially in village temples believing that the new look temple will help in the revival in their fortunes. Increased crowd in these temples is leading to more income for the priests at these temples. Annadhanam is at an all time high in over 30 temples with through the day food in large temples such as Srirangam.

During this phase, rope cars have been introduced at Sholingur and Ayyarmalai and lifts at Swami Malai and Maruthamalai. Also, previously unheard of, Sekar Babu has initiated a special tour for senior citizens taking them to Arupadai Veedu, Rameswaram and Kasi.

Remote Divya Desams that had seen a struggle for many decades are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Sirupuliyur is one such. The one legged Srikanthan Bhattar had told this writer last month as to how the dilapidated chariot has been restored in the last few years and the Brahmotsavam procession has taken place. Chariot Processions that had stopped in many temples have been revived.

This writer was the first to write a piece on the huge Rs. 15crore allocation for the Thiruvalluvar temple in Mylapore. The consecration of that temple took place earlier this year.

He is not stopping here. Currently, there are repair works taking place in close to 13000 temples!!!! Sekar Babu claims that over 8000 acres of temple lands have been recovered adding to a huge income to temples in TN.

New Raja Gopuram at Thiru Vellarai

At Pundarikaksha Perumal Divya Desam in Thiru Vellarai, it is under his directions that the construction of the Raja Gopuram on the Northern side has taken off and is going at a great speed. The towering 100+ feet new Raja Gopuram is likely to see its consecration next year. 

While the Government continues to hold its position on the existence of God, this man has earned devotional rewards from the almighty helping pull in huge crowds to temples. For five years, Sekar Babu has worked tirelessly on the transformational revival of temples across the state. This morning when this writer called him as early as 6am, he picked up the call!!! Last year, when there was a big issue relating to the Srirangam temple, he picked up this writer’s call well past 11pm and jokingly pointed out ‘I may pick your call after 11pm, but the temple JC may not pick my call this late in the night and that we will solve this problem the next morning.”

During this period, he has worked round the clock and has always been available to solve temple issues, patiently listening to the devotee voice to which ever temple he went. And that is not something devotees have experienced with those earlier.

And in this above issue, indeed that problem was solved the next day!!!

Srirangam Pandari Sriram Panguni Uthiram 2026

This ever smiling and friendly Pandari will represent Thayar tom in her 'Panguni Uthiram' heated argument with Namperumal 

It is just 24 hours to go for the vehement argument between Ranganayaki Thayar and Namperumal at the Thayar Sannidhi in Srirangam on the occasion of Panguni Uthiram. 53 year old Pandari K Muthukrishnan (popularly known as Pandari Sriram in the temple circles) is devotionally excited at the prospect of representing Thayar for the third time in his Kainkaryam that now spans two decades.

It is a quiet morning at the Thayar Sannidhi on Tuesday with Namperumal having started out early at 6.30am on a trip to Ellaikarai Mandapam on the eastern outskirts of Srirangam on the Southern Banks of Kollidam on this 8th day of the Panguni Brahmotsavam. There are not too many devotees at the Thayar Sannidhi and Pandari Sriram takes time out to recount to this writer his experience the first time he represented Thayar on the morning of Panguni Uthiram way back in 2012 “I had seen the Panguni Uthiram episode being enacted from my childhood and it was always my dream to one day represent Ranganayaki Thayar in the argument against Namperumal. But when the great opportunity came to me in 2012, just 5 years after I had become a Pandari, I was quite tense for there was a big crowd inside the Thayar Sannidhi with all the eyes on me and with them listening to every single word I was uttering to get Thayar to win the arugment. It was a great experience and I enjoyed it thoroughly.”

In 2017, when he represented Ranganayaki Thayar a second time, he says he was a lot more relaxed having had an experience earlier and also having watched his Pandari colleagues in the previous four years.

On April 1, he will be representing Ranganayaki Thayar at the heated conversation with Namperumal. He says he has been refreshing over the past 10 days the five conversations that will take place tomorrow morning and in the next 24 hours ‘I will refresh once again later today and tomorrow morning as well ahead of the conversation’,

Pandari Sriram told this writer even as a suddenly cheerful Harish Bhattar, son of Chief Priest Murali Bhattar, comes in to have a chat with him. He has just received approval for the presentation on the occasion of Panguni Uthiram of a new Thirumanjanam Vethikai replacing a previous damaged one. Two years ago, on this same occasion, Harish Bhattar had organised a glittering diamond necklace to be worn during the Serthi Sevai (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/03/srirangam-panguni-uthiram-2024.html)

                              Harish Bhattar

The Legendary Panguni Uthiram Serthi Story

The story goes that Ranganayaki Thayar of Srirangam had learnt, through her friends, about Namperumal’s (the Utsavar deity of Lord Ranganatha) trip, a few days ago, to Uraiyur to meet his beloved Kamalavalli Naachiyar and the presentation of his ring to her. This angered Ranganayaki Thayar and she was waiting for a opportunity to express her unhappiness to the Lord.

(On Sunday 29th March, Namperumal left Srirangam on a 6 km - 7 hour trip across River Cauvery to meet Kamalavalli Nachiyar for ‘Kalyana Utsavam’ festivities at Uraiyur Divya Desam)

A few days after his return from Uraiyur, on the occasion of Panguni Uthiram, having heard about her anger, Namperumal plans a visit to meet the Ranganayaki Thayar at her Sannidhi at the Northern entrance of Srirangam temple.

Namperumal being denied entry into Thaayar Sannidhi

When Namperumal reaches the Thaayar Sannidhi, much to his shock, Ranganayaki Thayar shuts the door on him and refuses to allow him entry into the Sannidhi. The faster he tries to enter the Sannidhi, the quicker the door shuts on him and with greater intensity each time. Adding insult to injury, the Lord is also pelted with butter by the  Thayar's side.

Pandari as the mediator representing Thayar

The Araiyars of Srirangam act as mediators in the war of words that extends to five rounds between Namperumal and Ranganayaki Thayar represented by Pandari. The Araiyars take the message from Namperumal (waiting outside at the entrance of the Thaayar Sannidhi) and present it to the Pandari and then take back Thaayar’s replies through the Pandari back to Namperumal.

The Araiyar begins round one by putting forth Perumal's defence that he has been out for well over three hours that morning in the hot Panguni sun, listening to the Vedic and Divya Prabhandham recitals and providing darshan to the devotees across the four Chitra and Uthira streets. He pleaded that this was the reason for the delay and that it was only fair that she accepted his garland and allowed him to enter her Sannidhi.

Mariyathai after the event on April 1 morning 

Pandari retorts that this was poor reasoning and put him on the defensive by questioning if providing darshan to devotees was indeed the real reason or if there was some hidden agenda (indirectly pointing to the fact that he was actually out there through the morning collecting money from the devotees to try and buy a ring to replace the one that he had presented to Kamalavalli Nachiyar at Uraiyur)

Thayar expresses surprise finding his eyes red, the hair disturbed, Thiruman not in the way it usually is and even nail marks on his body. Thayar insists on status quo being maintained – No one inside the Sannidhi should go out and those that are outside should not enter her Sannidhi, she orders through the Pandari.

Did you go to Uraiyur

As part of the second round of the debate, Araiyars defend Perumal stating that he had spent sleepless nights protecting his devotees and that was the reason for the red eyes. He had to go to the forest to fight the wild animals to protect his devotees and the nail marks was a result of that fight. He had lost his ring when Thiru Mangai Azhvaar, posing as a thief, attacked him in the middle of the night and that he was still searching for it and was confident of finding it back.

 

An unconvinced Ranganayaki Thayar fires a fiery question at him sending shock waves to the other side – ‘Did you go to Uraiyur.’

              

Where is Uraiyur:)

The next round begins with Ranganatha in all his innocence saying that he had neither heard of nor seen that place. He contests that she was purposely trying to insult him in front of everyone by naming some place that he had never even heard of. This infuriates Thayar even further and she retorted that the Lord was trying to create an illusion by hiding everything and that she had gathered all the truth about his trip from her sources.

Lofty Promises

Pushed back further in every round and completely exasperated with the negative response, Lord Ranganatha decides that it was now time to resort to promises in an effort to convince her. His representatives  tell her that He was ready to promise on the Ocean, the Fire and that he was even ready to put his hand inside the snake pit to prove his innocence.

Ranganayaki Thayar scoffs at these seemingly lofty promises saying that she is not the one to be outdone by these.  Making promises was a well accepted practice to a truce when there was a fight between two parties and Thayar expresses surprise at the kind of promises he has made.

Does he expect the Serpent King on whom he resides all the time to bite him, she extolls!!! She refuses to allow him entry at the end of the fourth round as well saying that he is trying to lure her back with such simple promises.

       2008 Panguni Uthiram Serthi Sevai (photo taken by this writer)

Climax

Araiyars come back a fifth time with an emotional appeal from the Lord standing at the entrance of the Thayar Sannidhi. ‘With the whole world watching him being thus insulted, it is a matter of time before they scoff at her and that all the blame for this public embarrassment of the Lord will have to be taken up by her. He is trying his best to convince her in every possible way but she is remaining adamant and is refusing to accept even the flowers he is presenting her with love and affection.’

Thayar stands firm – ‘The Lord had done everything wrong but it now looks like he is passing on the blame game and trying to make me feel guilty’ she argues.

This heated debate between Perumal and Thayar showcases to the world the beautiful relationship between a husband and a wife, the differences of opinion, the fights and the adjustments one has to make in a relationship for it to succeed. This event also showcases the regard one must have for elders and the role they play in our lives. This can be seen from the fact that despite being angry and upset at Lord Ranganatha’s behaviour, Ranganayaki Thayar listens to the words of Nam Azhvaar and forgives the Lord and accepts him once again. This event is a great lesson for one to follow in this fast paced world where ego seems to play a part in relationships among family members and friends.

With the arrival of the settlement, Namperumal then finally enters the Thaayar Sannidhi provides Serthi Sevai for the only time in the year with Ranganaayaki Thaayar.

Pandari Sriram considers it a great blessing

Pandari Sriram has been performing Kainkaryam right from his teenage years carrying Kudam from Kollidam to different sannidhis as well as performing Vethal service carrying Namperumal on his shoulders on long processions. He has over 3 ½ months of Kainkaryam at the Thayar Sannidhi annually and during his free time, he participates in consecration events to keep himself going.

Pandari Sriram considers this a great blessing that he is being bestowed with a third opportunity in his lifetime to represent Ranganayaki Thayar on the occasion of Panguni Uthiram. Following the enactment of the episode, Pandari Sriram will be taken for a special darshan of Namperumal and be presented with Mariyathai. Also, the temple representatives will see him off at his home on North Chitra Street as a recognition of having represented Ranganayaki Thayaar on this auspicious Panguni Uthiram morning when Namperumal and Ranganayaki Thayar will provide Serthi Sevai following the enactment of the reconciliation episode.

Pandari Sriram is one of the most friendliest Kainkaryaparas at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam and has built a great network of devotees over the last two decades. 200 of them will be there at the Thayar Sannidhi tomorrow (Wednesday) morning to be a source of strength to Pandari Sriram and to boost his confidence in the argument against the representatives of Namperumal. Later in the afternoon, he will be hosting lunch to his large network of ‘supporters’ who have been a pillar of strength in his 2 decades Kainkaryam at the Thayar Sannidhi.