Kattu Mannar Koil Annan Srinivasan Bhattar

The Head Priest at the Avathara Sthalam of Natha Muni and Alavanthar joined the Veera Narayana Perumal temple at a salary of Rs. 75 per month and has served with unflinching devotion for over two decades keeping the temple alive and vibrant

Annan Srinivasan Bhattar has been the head priest at Kattu Mannar Koil the Avathara Sthalam of Natha Muni for over two decades now having joined the temple in the late 1990s. As a young boy, he learnt the Pancharatra Agamas and was certified by the revered Kannan Bhattar of Therazhundur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/10/therazhundur-divya-desam.html).  As has been the case with many historical temples in remote locations, it has been a challenging two decades for him. His grandfather Narayanan Bhattachar had performed service at the temple till 1965. His father was a Maniyakaarar at the temple. As a young school boy, he performed service at the temple through the 1980s that included carrying the Ghee torch during processions, holding the Umbrella atop the Lord and carrying the Lord on his shoulders. As described in Kulasekara Azhvaar’s Perumal Thirumozhi, the young Annan Srinivasan would hold on to the pillars watching the Veera Narayana Perumal, Natha Muni and his grandson Alavanthar during his entire school days.

Joins at Rs. 75 per month

In the early 80s, there were over 20 families in the agraharam. But by the time he was into his mid teens, most of them had left this legendary Vaishnavite location seeking greener pastures in cities. And he was in a confused state. He too did contemplate to leave following in the foot step of the seniors in this temple town. But God decided otherwise and held on to him at Kattu Mannar Koil. His uncle Sampath Bhattar had been performing service in the Sannidhi in the 80s and early 90s. In the mid 1990s, when he became unwell, Annan Srinivasan Bhattar took over and joined the temple as the Priest at the age of 17 in 1996-97. There were severe challenges when he began not the least the lack of devotee crowd and the financial returns. He joined at a salary of just Rs. 75 per month. 

10 hour service each day of the year at Rs. 3000 per month
While there were temptations to introduce innovations, he stuck to the agamas and followed that diligently. He was clear that he would not introduce any new procedural creations just to attract crowd as has happened with many other temples in the last two decades.  Despite financial challenges, he has stuck on for over decades.  His salary increased to Rs. 400 per month after a decade!!! And now after two decades, he is paid Rs. 3000 per month having to take care of the daily poojas at all the sannidhis as the only priest. His elder brother who works at the temple office supports him as and when required.

His devotional rendition of archanai is a special feature at this temple and it is unlikely that any devotee who has visited this temple would not have been moved by his service to the Lord and the acharyas.

During utsavams such as the one going on currently (Adyayana Utsavam), his  daily service over 20 days is also physically challenging having to be at the temple just after 430am for the Margazhi sevai followed later in the day by the Pagal Pathu Utsvam. During such days, his daily service at the temple extends to well over 12 hours performing aradhanam and alankaram all alone. Rarely do they get substitutes in such remote locations. In addition to the financial challenges, he has also had to encounter health issues given the long working hours at the temple.  But it is something he is devotionally committed to engage in for the rest of his life for how many would get serve at a temple that was responsible for the recovery of Nalayira Divya Prabhandham.

It was Natha Muni who was responsible for bringing back the Naalayira Divya Prabandham that had been previously lost to the world. Nathamuni, who mastered himself in Vedas at a young age, was very attached to Veera Narayana Perumal at Kattu Mannar Koil and spent most of his time performing daily poojas for the Lord here. One day, while he was performing his daily poojas, he heard a set of devotees who had come here from Thiru Narayanapuram in Melkote chanting the Aaravamuthey song (Nam Azhvaar’s Tiruvoimozhi verse praising the Lord of Kumbakonam).These devotees ended with the words ‘these 10 out of the 1000’.
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)

 Nathamuni was drawn to these songs and asked them to sing the rest of the 990 verses. However, they knew only these 10 songs. A restless Nathamuni went to Kumbakonam, where Lord Aaravamudhan asked him to go to Thiru Kurugur where he secured the entire 4000 songs- Naalaayira Divya Prabandham and brought it back to Kattu Mannar Koil from where he began spreading the messages from these sacred verses.

உழலை என்பின் பேய்ச்சி முலையூடு 
அவலை உயிருண்டான் 
கழல்கள் அவையே சரணாக கொண்ட குருகூர் சடகோபன் 
குழலின் மலியச் சொன்ன ஓராயிரத்துள் இப்பத்தும் 

மழலை தீர வல்லார் காமர் மானேய் நோக்கியர்க்கே

Along with his nephews, Keezhaiyagath Azhvaar and Melaiagath Azhvaar (the Araiyars are descendents of these two), Nathamuni gave the Naalayira Divya Prabandham a musical (creating Raagam and Thaalam) and dance form and presenting it in a form that the world could experience and enjoy . To him goes the credit of creating the Araiyar Sevai, a visual song and dance enactment of the ‘Paasurams’ through Abhinayam. He went to Srirangam and performed the Araiyar Sevai, of the Thiruvaai Mozhi verses, with his two Nephews, and once again started the Adhyayana Utsavam at Srirangam which had been discontinued after the time of Thirumangai Azhvaar.

Nathamuni’s grandson Alavanthar was born in Kattu Mannar Koil and he travelled often to Srirangam to spread the dharmic messages of Vaishnavism. It was he who nominated Ramanuja as the ’to be’ acharya after his death. Natha Muni and Alavanthar Avathara Utsavams are celebrated in a grand way at Kattu Mannar Koil.

Despite the salary not being financially lucrative, Annan Srinivasan Bhattar feels blessed to have been born at this Avathara Sthalam of two great acharyas and to be serving the Lord every day of his life. It is the commitment of such lonely priests who stuck through with the God through dark days that has kept ancient temples such as this alive and vibrant for the devotees to now enjoy.

The temple is open from 730am-12noon and 430pm-9pm Contact Annan Srinivasan Bhattar @ 99522 76110