Shozhanganallur Gopalakrishnan Temple

84 year old Sethurama Iyengar rides a TVS motorcycle every morning from Killiyanallur to light the lamp and perform pooja but HR & CE has completely ignored this ancient temple that has been lying in dilapidated condition for several decades

Snakes and Bats welcome him inside the dark temple  but his devotion has led him to fearlessly perform pooja

Growth of trees around the Vimana has led to the ancient stone structure falling off 

The Utsava Idol has been in safety locker at the temple in Kodiyalam on the Southern Banks of Cauvery 

It is one of those temples that has not benefited from the recovery that many (temples) have seen in the last two decades and continues to remain in a dilapidated condition in a remote location in the midst of large barren piece of land.

The Centuries old Gopalakrishnan Temple in Shozhanganallur, 5kms North of Sirugambur near Mukkombu is reminiscent of the State of many of the ancient temples in Tamil Nadu in the 1970s and 80s. While many, especially the Azhvaar praised Divya Desams, saw a restoration starting from the 1990s, this one remains completely ignored with the HR & CE paying no attention to the ravaged state of the temple. With restoration in mind, Balalayam was done 50 years ago but the repair works haven’t even started in the five decades that has passed.

84 year old Sethurama Iyengar stays in Killiyanallur (on the Trichy – Namakkal highway) about  10 kms from the temple. His forefathers had performed pooja at this temple for many years in the 20^th century. His grandfather walked all the way bare footed from Killiyanallur in the hot sun to perform pooja at this temple. There was a Madapalli too in those decades that was fully functional. ‘Amuthu Parai’ stands as proof. 

In the later part of the 20^th Century, the temple found no takers and remained in a locked condition for several years till finally the Villagers joined hands and approached Sethurama Iyengar to take care of the temple.  Over two decades ago, he re-opened the temple and has been performing pooja every day since.

Notwithstanding his old age, he starts his TVS XL motor cycle (gifted to him by his son!!) and rides through the pit filled road via Sirugambur to reach the temple every morning to light the lamp.

The Hissing of the Snake
Similar to what happened in many temples (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/02/erettai-tirupathi-transformation.html) in the dark days of the 70s and 80s, Sethurama Iyengar enters the temple cautiously watching out for snakes that have lay crawled in one of the corners. Every morning, he has to undergo this trauma. He says that there were times when the snake would hiss when he entered. For a while he has not heard that hiss but is always worried that it might turn up one morning in that dark little sannidhi. There are bats as well. It is truly scary to enter the temple even during the day.

His daily route includes lighting the lamp and presenting an arathi to Lord Gopalakrishnan. If there are devotees coming the way of the temple, he stays back to help them with the darshan of the Moolavar Lord and the Azhvaars. Else, he returns carefully maneuvering the two wheeler through pits along the muddy road to Sirugambur.

The Sacred Well

There was a sacred well  too inside the temple complex but that too has remained untouched for decades with plants growing thick around the inner walls.

As seen in the story on Uthamar Seeli (http://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/10/uthamar-seeli-venugopalan-temple.html), the processional deity here too has been kept far away in 'safe custody' at the Perumal Temple Kodiyalam for several decades. The Moolavar deity, Gopalakrishnan, looks handsome but has been left alone in this remote village in the company of snakes and bats. 

Even during his grand father's time at the time, he says, the Lord of Shozhanganallur used to send an annual gift to Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam. The service personnel at this temple used to carry the gift on a long 20km trip, with a couple of the personnel holding the Theevatti in the front to light the path. But that too has become a thing of the past.

Dilapidated State

The temple is currently in a badly damaged condition now. The path leading to the temple is full of thorns. Every devotee who enters the village is welcomed with the same message “Will the temple finally see the light.” The villagers point out that the talk of renovation and restoration of the temple has been going on for several years and that they don’t believe this story any longer. The prakaram is full of sharp stones and it is unlikely anyone can escape a bleeding of the feet.

The roof is in danger of falling any time. The outer wall is broken. The entrance to the temple is bereft of any wall- it is already gone. Utsavams have not taken place for several decades, with the processional idol at Kodiyalam temple on the Southern banks of Cauvery. The Vimana is surrounded by a thick growth of trees that has caused damaged to the ancient stone structure, one that is now falling off .

There is even talk of ASI taking over this heritage structure.

The temple is administered by the HR & CE but as is the case with ‘revenue-less’ temples, the department is not too eager to undertake any repair works.  The Villagers are hoping that some enlightened soul will turn up one day and restore this small temple. 

Sethurama Iyengar @ 97875 72556 is readily available through the day to take the 10 km ride to showcase the state of the temple to any interested devotee.