Temples lockdown 1960s 70s

The 'Unenforced' lockdown of the 1960s and 70s saw the wiping out of an entire generation of archakas in Tamil Nadu

No Devotees, No Thattu Kaasu, No Vastram for the Lord, Life Threatening Reptiles and a Battle for daily survival was the scenario at the TN temples in those decades

While a devotee-less temple seems like a new scenario to many, this was exactly the experience most priests in remote temples had six decades ago, when the entire original inhabitants began leaving those ancient temple towns seeking greener pastures. The current lockdown for devotees has taken priests in remote temples back in time to the 1960s and 70s when the temples were in an ‘unenforced’ lockdown mode.

Back then, priests in most Divya Desams and Paadal Petra Sthalams would perform daily aradhana and abhisekam and wait at the Sannidhi entrance for the devotees so they could take some Thattu Kaasu back home to manage the family expenses. Most often that devotee remained elusive. Many of the big utsavams had come to a grinding half for years. Priests did not have enough money for the next meal. They struggled to pay the house rent or even to take a cycle on rent. There were no communication tools in those days and hence rarely did the outside world get to know of the severe and unbearable challenges of these priests. Not for days or months but years and decades, the priests encountered this ‘devotees’ lockout scenario.

Therazhudur - Total Lockdown in the 1960s

Vasan Bhattar of Therazhundur Aamaruviappan Divya Desam is now a mentor to hundreds of priests and service personnel in the Chozha region. He has seen the temple in war like situation when even the daily survival was in question and says that the 1960s and 70s was the worst phase at Therazhundur “I saw my father struggling to get even a rupee as Thattu Kaasu. Salary was not paid to him for many years. There was no money to even light the lamp at the temple. Lord was left with one vastram for a whole year.  There was minimal ‘Thaligai’ for the Lord. Utsavams were stopped. Finding money for the next meal was a challenge.”

 முந்தி வானம் மழை பொழியும்
மூவா உருவின் மறையாளர்
அந்தி மூன்றும் அலை ஓம்பும்
அணி ஆர் வீதி எழுந்தூரே

He says that today there is so much of instant communication raising awareness among people about issues. There was none in those years of struggle. The priests of those dreadful decades fought a lonely battle in their respective temples. In the current scenario too, there will be financial challenges in the near term with the shutting down of the temples but we need to have faith in God like the priests of the 1960s and 70s.

Agamas during and after Lockdown

Vasan Bhattar says that the Agamas have laid out clear processes for aradhana and conduct of utsavams during war times and emergencies. If utsavams are being put off in such times, the agamas allow for it to be conducted over the next 6 months. He says that one has to feed the needy people in atonement for the non conduct of utsavams during the scheduled period. With Brahmotsavams not taking place in temples in Panguni, these should be necessarily conducted later in the year once the situation comes back to normal. Vasan Bhattar points out that more importantly these festivals should be done with the full and active participation of the people and not just as a formality for the records.

Life threatening times at Erettai Tirupathi

Industrialist Venu Srinivasan, who restored the entire Nava Tirupathi temples in the 1990s and transformed the lives of the priests there, remembers the time he entered the dilapidated Erettai Tirupathi (Twin Temples on the Northern Banks of Tamaraibarani) Divya Desam over 25 years ago to explore the possibility of restoration. While what one is witnessing currently is unprecedented, both in scale and magnitude, the scenario at Erettai Tirupathi was grave with Seshamani Bhattar putting his life at risk each day of the year.
தோக்கும் பக்கம் எல்லாம் கரும்பொடு 
செந்நெல் ஓங்கு செந்தாமரை 
வாய்க்கும் தண் பொருநல் வடகரை 

வண் தொலை வில்லி மங்கலம் 

“The priest, who came from Thiru Kolur, sometimes had to wade his way through the high tide in the Tamaraibarani to reach Erettai Tirupathi. He would be welcomed into the temple by dangerous snakes that moved around freely. There were no lights at the temple. The roof and the walls were in dilapidated state and could have fallen off anytime. There was threat to his life each day of the year. And for all this, there were no devotees in the temple town on most days in the year. The priest did not get any Thattu Kaasu except on the few utsavam days or some select days in the month. For all his efforts, his monthly salary was just a couple of hundred rupees.”

திருந்து  வேதமும் வேள்வியும்
திரு மா மகளிரும் தாம் மலிந்து
இருந்து வாழ் பொருநல் வடகரை
வண் தொலை வில்லி மங்கலம்

Thiru Kannamangai – No money to pay House Rent

84 year old PK Ramaswamy Bhattachar performed service at the Bhaktavatsala Perumal Divya Desam in Thiru Kannamangai for over six decades and continues to be at the temple to this day. 

எங்களுக்கு அருள் செய்கின்ற  ஈசனை

வாச வார் குழலாள் மலை மங்கை தன் பங்கனைப்

 பங்கில் வைத்து உகந்தான் தன்னை

பான்மையை, பனி மா மதியம் தவழ் மன்குலை

கடரை வட மா மலை உச்சியை

நச்சி நாம் வணங்கப்படும் கங்குலை

பகவைச் சென்று நாடி

கண்ணமங்கையுள் கண்டு கொண்டேனே

He remembers the decade long battle for survival in the 1960s “We struggled to pay a house rent of Rs. 5. To get even the basic provisions, I would cycle all the way to Thiruvarur (7kms away). The cancellation this month of the big utsavams in TN temples reminds me of my early days at Thiru Kannamangai when the Chitrai Brahmotsavam came to a halt and was not held for several years. There was neither money nor people to conduct the utsavams. In those years, my eyes used to light up at the sight of a single devotee. It was really a rare phenomenon to find a visiting devotee.”

Pullam Bhoothangudi

Till a few decades ago, there was no road access to the Jatayu Moksha sthalam of Pullam Bhoothangudi Divya Desam in sad contrast of it being a ‘Well Laid Out City’ with mansions as seen by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. M Krishnamurthy Bhattar, who performed aradhana for five decades till his death in 1998, would delightfully bring home Rs. 2 that he received as Thattu Kaasu when a rare devotee made it to the Valvil Rama temple crossing the fields from Swami Malai. However, pressed by the need for daily sustenance, his wife Jayalakshmi would somehow find this hidden money and buy tamarind for that week’s Rasam. Angered at her spending immediately this hard earned two rupees, the Bhattar would go back to the temple to invoke the Lord’s blessings. Such was his way of life back in the 1960s and 70s. Looking back, the 87 year old Jayalakshmi wonders now as to how she managed to run her family with so little money in all those decades.

கற்பு ஆர் புரிசை செய் குன்றம்
கவின் ஆர் கூடம் மாளிகைகள்
பொற்பு ஆர் மாடம் எழில் ஆரும்
புள்ளம் பூதங்குடி தானே

The Utsavams too had come to a halt. In the diary of Krishnamurthy Bhattachar is found a jotting where he records with sadness his inability to perform the Pavitrotsavam during his life time. 

His son, the 48 year old Gopalan Bhattar, who joined the temple at a monthly salary of just Rs. 45, says that while the shutting down of temples for devotees is saddening, the lockdown kind of scenario is not entirely new to him for he spent his entire childhood at Pullam Bhoothangudi without devotees. He says with devotional pride that despite the lack of financial resources and the complete absence of devotee crowd, his father performed aradhana all alone every day of the year for several decades.  Lack of devotees was not a deterrent and his father faithfully performed his duty as per the agamas. Never once did he complain about the poor financial state or the absence of devotees.

மறையால்  முத்தீ அவை வளர்க்கும் 
மன்னு  புகழால் வண்மையால்  
பொறையால் மிக்க அந்தணர் வாழ் 
புள்ளம் பூதங்குடி தானே 

Paadal Petra Sthalam – No Devotees, No Salary
At the historical over 1000 years old Aabath Sahayeswarar temple in Thiru Pazhanam, 2kms East of Thiruvayaru, a temple praised by Thiru Gnana Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar, Raja Gurukal has been taking care of the poojas for the last 25 years since the time he was a teenager. For him, this forced lockdown is not any different from what he and his father have experienced in the last many decades. During the time of his father, who served at the temple for 55 years, the payment of even the low salary was infrequent. 

Even though this is a Paadal Petra Sthalam, only a few devotees visit the temple on most days even now and hence the Thattu Kaasu is minimal. He says that his forefathers looked upon the Lord and Ambal as their own parents and served then with love and devotion. It is only the devotion to the Lord and the opportunity for him to perform abhisekam at such a legendary temple where his ancestors had performed pooja that has helped his mind stay away from seeking greener pastures, mindless of the lack of income and a constant shut down feel given the absence of devotees.

In the current lockdown phase, abisekam is being performed with the Raja Gopuram closed. He says that the Pancha Bhootham has to be functional during pooja. However with the Raja Gopuram being shut down during abhisekam, the vibration will be lost and may not reach the people.

A Lockdown even in Madurai
If one thought that this unenforced ‘lockdown’ was the scenario only in remote temples, the situation till 1976 at the Koodal Azhagar temple indicated otherwise and presented a grimmer picture.  Despite being in the heart of Madurai and very close to Meenakshi Amman Temple, the situation was so bad that the Bhattars for a large part stood outside the Sannidhi each day of the week waiting for the devotees to turn up. 

And when only a single devotee arrived, the frustrated Bhattar at the Perumal Sannidhi would redirect him to the Thayar and Andal Sannidhi hoping that there would be a few more devotees by the time he finished these Sannidhis so the Bhattar could provide a combined darshan for 3-4 devotees. However, the redirected devotee would turn up again to find the same Bhattar standing in the same position.  It is unthinkable now that there was once a period in the not so recent past when the Bhattars were so down on motivation that they were not so inclined to opening the big door at the Koodal Azhagar temple and providing darshan to a lone devotee.

Support the Priests in Distress Period
Chennai based devotee Srinivasa Gopalan, who has been supporting several priests of ancient temples in remote locations for the last many years, has come forward this week to additionally support them during this distress period. On the reasons for his supporting such remote temples, he says ‘there are tens of thousands of temples in TN, most dating back many centuries and each with fascinating historical stories. This heritage needs to be protected and sustained.  The priests who take care of the daily rituals at these temples play a big part in protecting and sustaining the heritage. Government and the community have a key role in making it happen. Else, the heritage will be lost for good, in the next few decades.’

Support the Priests
In this hugely challenging scenario as well as for the long term, Srinivasa Gopalan feels that all priests must receive an amount that should be large enough for them to be free of financial worries for their day to day expenses; and also allow them to save for future requirement for major events in their family life like children’s education, marriage, major illness, etc. In emergency scenarios such as the one we are currently facing, they need to speak up. They will need to voice their difficulties to the local administration, local community leaders, Mutt Heads and Trustees and seek compassionate support.”

Challenges to emotional well being
As a devotee, Srinivas Gopalan is worried that being away from temples for a long time could affect the emotional well being “Most of us have a ‘favourite’ temple or two that we go regularly – may be daily, weekly or a few times in a month. It has huge impact on emotional wellness. Devotees can take the miss for a few weeks; if it extends for several weeks, it will take a toll on their emotional wellness, I think.”

In this hugely challenging scenario as well as for the long term, Srinivasa Gopalan feels that all priests must receive an amount that should be large enough for them to be free of financial worries for their day to day expenses; and also allow them to save for future requirement for major events in their family life like children’s education, marriage, major illness, etc "In emergency scenarios such as the one we are currently facing, they need to speak up. They will need to voice their difficulties to the local administration, local community leaders, Mutt Heads and Trustees and seek compassionate support.”

For priests who performed service in temples in the 1960s and 70s, the current scenario is a repeat from those times, in terms of financial challenges and absence of devotees. They came through some unbearably challenging times, one that would have broken most hearts and for that reason alone their devotional commitment from those times is highly commendable. While that phase saw a major wiping off of the next generation of priests who all moved into the corporate world, the ones that survived and continue to perform aradhana and abhisekam to this day are those who had complete faith in God and saw it as a passing phase. For both devotees and priests alike, it is that devotion to God and faith in him that is likely to help them see through this phase.