Currently there are only 120 Othuvars in TN though the Paadal Petra Sthalam number 274
While Vedic Patshalas have sprung up across the State in
recent years, there has been a dearth of a ‘Thirumurai’ Patshalas. The shortage
can be seen from the fact that currently there are only 120 Trained Othuvars who have
graduated through the typical five year Gurukulam model of Thirumurai education,
a number that is less than half of the 274 Paadal Petra Sthalams, temples
praised by Saivite Saint Poets. Most Thevaram temples do not have an Othuvar. There is no Formal Gurukulam styled Thirumurai Patshala to train Othuvars
Historically, the Kings were keen to spread the dharmic
messages of the Saint Poets and placed the Othuvars and their contribution on a
high pedestal. They saw the Othuvars’ daily ritual in front of the God as being
integral to the everyday proceedings in temples. Buoyed by this encouragement
from the great rulers, the Othuvar service gained prominence and they grew in
large numbers and performed service over several centuries across temples in
Tamil Nadu.
However, as with priests, driven by low salaries and the
cutting down on provisions that were once handed out in large quantities to
service personnel, the Othuvars too saw a downturn in the second half of the
previous century and their numbers have since dwindled quite drastically. In
recent decades, most of the new generation Othuvars have graduated mostly
through a three year course offered by the Music Schools as against the traditional
Gurukulam model Thevaram Patshalas in the past.
Reviving Othuvars in
Thevaram Temples
15 years ago, S Manivasagan, an entrepreneur from Chennai
stopped by on the road when he heard a rendition of the Thirumurai by the
Othuvars. So captivated was he by their devotional recital that he immediately
decided to focus his attention on the betterment of the Othuvars. He formed a
specific trust ‘Aalavai Annal Trust’ with the objective of promoting the cause
of the Othuvars across all the Thevaram temples, especially the remote ones.
As a first step, Manivasagam began pooling in Othuvars from
across the State to participate in Kumbabhisekams. He then moved his attention
on their role in historical festivals in these Thevaram Temples and very soon
got them to present the sacred verses during the Lord’s procession in these
ancient temples especially during the Brahmotsavam.
An Exclusive
Thirumuruai Patshala in TN
With the purpose of creating the next generation of experts
in Thirumurai, Manivasagan started a Thirumurai Patshala six years ago from a
small rented building in Chidambaram. He roped in the renowned Muthukumaran
Othuvar, who had presented the sacred verses at the Meenakshi Amman temple in
Madurai for over a decade, to be a member of the Trust. Sivakumar Othuvar, who continues to serve at
the Mayuranathar temple in Mayiladuthurai, too joined him at this Thirumurai
Patshala as the Acharya. Over the last
six years, the two Othuvars have gone around the state to find interested
students and to get them initiated into the Thirumurai verses of the Saivite
Saint Poets.
The two experienced Othuvars have put a strong system in
place at this Gurukulam style Patshala and the students are put through a stringent daily devotional routine
starting each day at 5am and ending at 930pm. As a pre requisite to admission,
each of the interested students have to undergo a voice test.
The Daily Routine for the students
5am Music Presentation
9am Formal Thirumurai Class
3pm Learning the way of presenting the Thevaram Verses
6pm Reciting Shiva Puranam all the way to the Thillai temple
7pm Rehearsing the day’s lessons sitting at the Naalvar Sannidhi
An annual trip to all
Thevaram Sthalams
Every Margazhi, the entire bunch of around 20 students are
taken on a ten day trip to all the Padal Petra Sthalams where they recite the
relevant verses sung by the Saint Poets. The first batch of five students has
just graduated this week and a few of them have already found service at
ancient temples.
Big Opportunities for
Othuvars
Muthukumaran Othuvar is of the view that there are great
opportunities for the upcoming Othuvars “At a peak point in the century gone
by, there were multiple Othuvars present in many of the ancient Thevaram
temples, such was the prominence given to the Othuvars in the past. With most
of the Padal Petra Sthalams not having the presence of even a single Othuvar,
there are ample opportunities for these fully trained Othuvars in the future.”
Historically, Nadaswaram, Vedas and Geetham were part of the
daily ritual in temples, of which the musical Thirumurai presentation by the
Othuvars was an important component. Muthukumaran Othuvar is hopeful of the HR
& CE appointing Othuvars in every Padal Petra Sthalam and reviving this
traditional practice.
In December, Othuvars
from across the state gathered to celebrate the inauguration of 5000 sq feet
own building of the biggest Thirumurai Patshala in the state, right next to the
historical Ilamaiyaakinar temple in Chidambaram. This large sized own building
of the trust entirely dedicated to the running of the Thirumurai Patshala will
serve as a great encouragement for budding Othuvars and it is hoped that there
will be more such exclusive Patshalas for Thirumurai initiation opened in the
state so as to revive the Othuvar recital in Thevaram Sthalams.
Those interested to contribute to the development and in
this revival process of Othuvars can contact: 93801 63791/99447 90380.
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