Kapaleeswarar Temple Jayakanthan Shivachariar

In his 25th year in service, this 7th Generation priest is committed to performing a life time of devotional service to Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal

Financially, the lockdown has thrown up a big challenge, but for Old World Priests like Jayakanthan Shivachariar, this is an opportunity for a close devotional connect with God, sans devotees 

The Head Priest of the Kapaleesawar temple E Venkatsubramaniam Shivachariar (popularly referred to as Jayakanthan) belongs to the 7th generation of priests to have performed service at this historical Saint Poets praised temple. He had been supporting his father from 1982 as a young boy and officially began his service as a priest at the temple in 1996. 

Rejects a Lucrative Offer from a UK Temple 

In his very first year, an overseas devotee was so moved by the devotional commitment of Jayakanthan Shivachariar that he captured a photo of his service during a procession. The next day he came back with a form with his photo pasted on that. It was for a long term extremely lucrative engagement as a priest for a temple in the UK. At that time, in the 1990s, the financial offer for his service would have been higher than what any priest in India would have made. The offer also allowed him to take his wife along and for them to be positioned for long at that temple in the UK. It was a lifetime kind of engagement with the temple. 

So lucrative was the offer that anyone would have been happy to take. But Jayakanthan Shivachariar could not think of letting go his service to Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal at a temple where his forefathers had performed service for centuries. 

The devotee, who was so impressed with the Shivachariar’s devotion, tried to convince him citing the financial opportunity and the long term stability. But Jayakanthan Shivachariar was clear that his service lay at the Kapali Temple. The devotee went away but came back ten years later for a recheck on the mindset and with an offer that was even more lucrative than before. But he saw in the Shivachariar’s eyes the same devotion that he had in 1996 and he quietly went away and has not returned since. 

Jayakanthan Shivachariar does not talk much, and regular devotees to the Kapali Temple often find him lost in thoughts of the Lord. For many years, it had been his devotional way to sit near the Kapaleeswarar Sannidhi after the early morning pooja for Japam. But the devotional wave that has hit temples over the last decade or so has meant huge crowds at the Kapali temple that has made it difficult for him to follow the devotional processes that are close to his heart such as the Japam. 

Lockdown’s Positive impact   

In Panguni, following the cancellation of the Brahmotsavam he, like many others had hoped that the lockdown would be short lived as the temple was to be closed only till March 31. However as time went by, he came to terms with the fact that the lockdown in temples for devotees was going to be much longer than what had been originally thought of. While the lockdown has resulted in devotees not being allowed into the temple for an indefinite period of time and it is not yet known when the temples are likely to reopen, it has in a way proved to be a blessing in disguise for old world priests such as Jayakanthan Shivachariar. 

In the fourth months of the lockdown, he has followed processes that he had devotionally dreamt for long but was not able to implement because of the huge crowd that has swarmed the temple. While he is saddened at the absence of devotees from the temple and the processions that have had to be cancelled, the lockdown has meant that the priests have been taken back in time to the days when they quietly and peacefully performed service with the Lord in ‘Ekantham’. In his period of service at the Kapali Temple, he has never brought a mobile phone into the temple. 

And to his delight, in the last few months, he has not heard a phone ring inside the temple, a regular and disturbing feature in the pre lockdown days. There have been no external distractions of devotees talking loudly to each other inside the sannidhi, no raising of the hand to take photos of the Lord, no pushing by the devotees to get the best view of the abhisekam darshan at 9pm. This phase has taken him back to the experience he had as a school boy several decades ago when his father Ekambareswar performed pooja at this temple. 

Saint Poets’ Utsavams 

In the months gone by, there have been three important annual utsavams dedicated to the Saint Poets – Appar Utsavam on Chitrai Sadhayam, Thiru Gnana Sambandar’s ten day utsavam culminating with his Mukthi on Vaikasi Moolam and Manikavachakar’s Utsavam on Aani Magam. Abhisekam and Alankaram were performed on these days in a peaceful scenario with Othuvar presenting the verses of the respective Saint Poets during these Utsavams. It also seemed that the Lord was enjoying listening to these verses in a quiet peace without the over powering noise of the people that has been a distinguishing feature of Utsavam in recent times. 

Following the announcement of the lockdown that led to the cancellation of the Brahmotsavam in Panguni, Jayakanthan Shivachariar has had several other one to one experiences with the Lord. The full moon day in Vaikasi is the only day in the year when Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal are anointed with Sandalwood Paste. 4pm on Vaikasi day every month is the time for the abhisekam for Arumugam, seen in the inner prakara of the Swami Sannidhi. Earlier this month (Aani), a three day Pavitrotsavam was performed. 

While in many of the temples in Tamil Nadu including the big ones, the pooja, sans the devotees, for the evening has been completed by 8pm, at the Kapaleeswarar temple there has been no change in the pooja process which have been exactly the same way as it was performed prior to the lockdown. The 9pm Abhisekam has remained so and there has been no bringing forward of the pooja timings. 

Disease Relief Homam 

In early June, a ‘Vyaathi Sakata Homam’ was performed inside the temple invoking the blessings of the Lord for relief from the Virus. And then for 16 days in the 2nd half of June, a Pancha Kaavya Pooja was performed each day for 1 ½ hours with Homam, Abhisekam and Nivedhanam and recital of Santhi Mantras for relief from big diseases forming part of the daily process. 

Financial Challenges but focusing on Devotion

Jayakanthan Shivachariar has had queries from across the world on the future, some on the education of their children, a few on the job prospects in the current scenario. His message, as always, has been to place the trust on the Lord of Mylapore. To those longing to have darshan, his message has been that the priests have all been invoking the Lord’s blessing for an early end to the Pandemic and for the devotees to come back to the temples. 

Being with God in an Ekantham state without noise from the external world is an experience that he has not had in his 2 ½ decades at the temple. And being able to do that has been a richly fulfilling experience over the last four months. 

The priests of Kapaleeswarar temple do not get a salary from the temple and the ‘Thattu Kaasu’ is their main source of income. Financially, the current scenario without the Thattu Kaasu would pose a big challenge for them but for those like Jayakanthan Shivachariar no amount of money can equal the joy of performing, in peace, an Abishekam for the Lord or decorating Ambal in a grand alankaram on Friday.