Its well over a century since full fledged repair works took place at the Pavala Vannan Divya Desam and Pachai Vannan Temple
Brahmotsavam has not taken place at Pavala Vannan Divya Desam for over five decades while at the Pandava Dhoothar Divya Desams it has been over 30 years since the last Brahmotsavam
Shops that have sprung up in recent decades now form the outer wall of the Pachai Vannan Temple
It has been a hard grind as far
as renovation work is concerned for several Divya Desams in Kanchipuram. Many
of the temples have found it difficult to even start the repair works for want
of funds. Unlike in the past, when
renovations used to take place in a haphazard manner, the temples now have to
go through the stringent process of securing the approval from the court
directed screening committee. It has been three decades at Pandava Dhoothar
Divya Desam and over a century at Pavala Vannan Divya Desam and Pachai Vannan
Temple since they saw any large scale repair works.
In light of this, renovation,
after almost two decades, at the Sonna Vannam Seitha Perumal temple in Thiru Vekka,
Kanchipuram, a Divya Desam praised by NamAzhwar, Thirumazhisai Azhwar, Poigai
Azhwar, Peyazhwar and Thirumangai Azhwar, assumes significance.
The story of Lord’s
Maaru Sayanam
Thirumazhisai Azhwar came here
and performed service to Lord Yathokthagaari with the assistance of his
disciple Kanikannan. When the ruler ordered Kanikannan out of the kingdom for
failing to sing praise of him, Thirumazhisai Azhwar too followed suit taking
along with him the Lord of Thiru Vekka plunging the whole place into
darkness. Realising his folly, the king
apologised and requested them to return to Kanchi. As an indication of his
departure from the temple and his subsequent return, the Lord is said to have
slept in the opposite direction. This Maaru Sayanam of the Lord sleeping from
South to North is a special feature of this Divya Desam.
As the Lord acceded to the
request of Thirumazhisai Azhwar, he came to be called as ‘Sonna Vannam Seitha
Perumal’.
This episode of the Lord leaving
the temple along with Thirumazhisai Azhwar is enacted every year on Thai Magam
on the occasion of Thirumazhisai Azhwar’s birthday with a trip to the Palar.
Later in the day, the garland worn by Thirumazhisai Azhwar at Thiru Vekka is
sent to his avathara sthalam at Thirumazhisai for the evening festivities at
the Jagannatha Perumal temple there.
Phase 1 of
Renovation
Repair works undertaken at the
Sonna Vannam Seitha Perumal Koil over the last 8 months at a cost of around Rs.
50Lakhs have been completed. In recent times, during monsoon rains, water had
been seeping into the temple complex.
The roof of the Perumal Sannidhi complex
has been completely revamped using 12000 new tiles to prevent water leaks. This has been the biggest repairs that the
temple has seen as part of the current renovation efforts.
A new electrification system is
being put in place. In the past the temple had been poorly lit. For the first
time, new LED lights are being installed to illuminate the pathway around the
prakara.
The entire phase 1 of the renovation
has been fully funded by donors.
Phase 2 over the
next six months- Refurbishing the Tank
Poigai Kulam, the sacred tank North
of the temple has been in a dilapidated state and is being completely
refurbished.
The Neerazhi Mandapam in the middle of the tank had fallen apart. This
is being fully rebuilt now from scratch. New compound wall will also be constructed.
Given the enormity of the work involved, this will be taken up in phase two of
the exercise over the next six months. The repair works at the tank is likely
to cost another Rs. 50 lakhs.
The
temple is open between 8am-11am and 5pm-8pm
Pandava Dhoothar
It is 30 years since the last Samprokshanam
at Pandava Dhoothar Divya Desam in Thiru Paadagam, a temple praised by four Azhwars.
It was with the full financial support of Sri Maha Periyava of Kanchi Mutt that
the previous large scale renovation works spanning a period of 5 years from
1984 had been undertaken.
A Couple of kms away from the
above temple is the Pavala Vannan Divya Desam praised by Thirumangai Azhwar in
his Thiru Nedunthaandagam. This temple too is in dire need of a restoration
exercise for there has not been a full-fledged large scale repair works for
over a century. It is saddening to see the sacred tank in front of the temple
filled with debris. The Raja Gopuram, Vimanams have not been painted for
several decades. The madapalli too is in a bad shape. Brahmotsavam has not
taken place for over five decades.
At the Pachai Vannan Temple half a km from
this Divya Desam, multiple shops that have sprung up in recent decades serve as
the outer wall of the temple. On top of this, there is a battle brewing between
the trustee and the HR & CE, which is looking to take over the two temples citing
mismanagement. Any renovation work is likely to commence only after this
dispute is sorted out.
1 comment:
It is very true and sad for Hindu devotees
Post a Comment