Thyagaraja Temple Thiruvotriyur

Sundarar found his life mate here and promised never to leave this temple town!!!

Thyagaraja provides a special dancing darshan in Brahmma Muhurtham during Maasi Brahmotsavam

When Kaliya Nayanar found dearth of oil, he offered to slit his throat to use blood to light the lamp

With temple administration issues at the core of debates in recent years and now a matter of Court discussion, Role Model Next Gen Priest Arul Nandhi Sivam is taking up a P Hd in Temple Management, and one day into the future is hoping to 'convince' all temples in TN to follow complete Agama Prescriptions in every day Pooja Processes

S Arul Nandhi Sivam, the descendant of the once hereditary trustees of the four Saint Poets praised Thyagaraja Swami temple in Thiruvotriyur, is just 21 years old but is already bubbling with great devotional enthusiasm and hoping to get every single temple in TN to perform pooja in full and as prescribed in the agamas. In recent decades, driven by wide ranging factors  including the HR & CE takeover of the temples, every day poojas do not take place as per the agamas. In many remote temples, there is only one Kaala pooja each day and in several thousands of others only two Kaala pooja. He is also trying to drive home the message to every Shivachariar to initiate their sons into patshala education as against academics. He says that Shivachariars, who touch the Lord and do pooja, are to be seen as mantra lingam and not humans and hence one has to blessed and gifted to be born in the Shivachariar clan. At least he sees it as a great blessing to be able to perform service in an ancient temple as this one.

He himself had discontinued academics at the age of ten to move into patshala education and from the way he talks can already be considered an expert in agamas and sastras. Arul Nandhi Sivam says that Agamas are like ocean and he wants to try to learn as much as possible during this lifetime. Looking back even at this early stage of his life, he is grateful to his appa for having initiated him into Agamas and Sastras as against school based academics. He has undergone close to 15years of intense initiation into these as well as the Thevaram verses – 8 years in a Patshala in Bangalore, 5 years of graduation and post graduation in agamas and sastras.  He has learnt Yajur Vedas too.

Refreshing - P Hd in Temple Management

This year, in the next few months, he will begin a deep research into Temple Management as he takes up his P Hd in the Karnataka University based on 1000s of years old scriptures trying to understand indepth on the way of life in a historical temple. This at a time when there is so much debate on temple administration, traditional pooja processes and renovation exercises with each of these being a matter of hearing in different courts with petitions filed by temple activists including by TR Ramesh (Activist Ramesh), whose foray into activism was driven by the wrongs he found at the Thiruvotriyur temple about six years ago.

Temple Management – The last couple of centuries

The management of the Adhi Pureeswarar temple, where Sage Agastya performed pooja, has seen tumultuous times in the last century or so. References to the temple can be found in Padma, Shiva and Skanda puranam as well as Aitareya Unpanishad. As per historical references, this village cannot be demolished even in Pralaya Kaalam such is the legend of the temple. The complex is huge with several sannidhis that is now manned by archakas appointed by the hereditary Sthaneegars.

53 year old Sthaanegar S Sundara Raman, who has been at the temple since the age of seven when he first watched his grandfather Senapathi Shivachariar perform pooja, has himself been serving at the temple for the last four decades. He was the one who recovered historical documents from the Chengalpattu District Court that gave him insights into the events in the previous 150 years at the temple and their rights at the temple, a number of which had been taken away with the passing of decades. 

A Vibrant Maasi Brahmotsavam

When he first came to the temple in the 1970s as a young boy, he was excited. He found a big devotional wave during the 11 day Brahmotsavam in Maasi and the 15day Vasantha utsavam in Vaikasi. For the Brahmotsavam, people came in from 32 villages around Thiruvotriyur on bullock carts and stayed here during the entire length of the utsavam specially to watch the one of its kind walking steps of Thyagesa “There were big open fields around the temple and the huge tank at the eastern entrance was brimming with water. There were 74 Dharma Chatrams on the mada streets in addition to community chatrams. The villagers stayed in these chatrams where they were also provided food through the period of the utsavam.” 

Sripatham were from the Vellalar community and they provided an awesome display with movements of Thyagaraja that left the devotees awestruck. A special feature of Thyagaraja’s procession during the brahmotsavam is that it always takes place during Brahmma Muhurtham and the Lord returns to the temple before 6am. 

Devotees used to congregate in large numbers by 3am ahead of the start of the procession. Around 4am, the Sripatham were served with hot kesari that seemed to energise them. And then with prominent sacred ash across their forehead they delighted the devotees with Thyagaraja’s dancing procession.

 

Highly Devotional- Kaliya Nayanar

Kaliya Nayanar was a business man steeped in Shiva bhakthi. He would light the lamp, sweep and clean the temple every day. To test his bhakthi, God removed his wealth and threw him into poverty. When oil was not there to light the lamp, he went to slit his throat to get blood as a replacement for oil. Delighted at his devotion,the Lord provided darshan and Mukthi at this place.

Panai Thoppu becomes Police Station!!!

Pattinathar referred to this location as being filled with Theertham and Flowers. ‘The whole region was a Siva Logam.’ This was a ‘Poon Solai’ in centuries gone by.  Sundar Raman says that it remained so till the 1960s and the early 70s. “There were not too many buildings or shops. I have seen big beautiful gardens and the place was abound with coconut trees and ‘panai’ maram. It is in the once big Panai Thoppu that one now finds the Thiruvotriyur Police station- a sign of changing times and infrastructural development that is taking place at a rapid pace that is sending temple related activities into the background!!!”

Railway Track replaces ‘Nandi Odam’

When Nandi who had seen the standing dance posture asked the Lord for a display of his sitting dance posture, he promised to provide darshan on Makam amavasai in Maasi. Nandi came here and performed penance after bathing in the Nandi Odam. Answering Nandi’s prayers, he provides darshan here in the sitting dance posture on the no moon Makam day in Maasi, when on West Mada street he does a Nandi Nadanam. Unfortunately the Odam was brought during the British rule and a railway track built.  

100s of Service Personnel

In the centuries gone by there was Ilangai (vessels cleaning) and Valangai (Sweeping, Mopping, Kolam drawing, Thevaram Verses recital). There were hundreds of service personnel at the temple and the entire town presented a vibrant picture especially during the Brahmotsavam and Vasantha Utsavam. 

Cart loads from Kothaval Chaavadi 

100 years ago, Ekambara Nayakar, a mestri in Kothaval Chaavadi  would bring a big bullock cart to the market ahead of the Brahmotsavam and ask traders and customers to place anything of their choice on the cart for it to be carried to the Thiruvotriyur temple. And very soon the entire cart would be filled to the brim with everyone contributing liberally. He would then drive the cart to the temple and present as offerings during the Brahmotsavam. His son Kapali sat on the back of the cart to take care of the provisions.

In those days, the North Mada Street was called as the Dharma Shivachariar Street, one that included a Dharma Shivachar Chatram. It was here that food was cooked and handed to the visitors to the Utsavam on each of the 11 days of the festival. 

Linghi Chetty as the Tax Collector

For centuries, Sthaneegam managed the temple affairs as the trustee. Later a Sabha was formed to take care of the temple management comprising of four Vellalars and 1 Sthaneegam. When Vellalars did not have descendants, they did not appoint outsiders and thus over time Sthaneegam who did pooja at the temple remained as the sole care takers. They appointed Pandaram to collect taxes from the lands of the temple. When Pandaram did not present proper accounts, during the time of Chandrasekara Gurukal, Linghi Chetty, a popular personality in North Madras (Parrys) was appointed to take care of the tax collections on behalf of the temple. Thus the charge moved from Mudaliars to Chettiars. Mudaliars continue to be in Sripatham service to this day. 

Accounting Issues

During the period of Ratnavel Chettiar, a bond agreement was signed that they will not act in a way to put off the Gurukal(Sthaneegam). When he did not have a son, his son in law took charge. During his period, much to everyone’s shock there was an ad in a newspaper put out by a Naidu belonging to Mint about auctioning of jewels. It was found to be this temple’s jewels. There began the first signs of deterioration. Leading Chettiars of the time led by Kaali Ratna Chettiar brought back the jewels to the temple. So upset was the sthaneegam at the development of the son in law of Ratnavel Chettiar that he quit the temple and moved to Swami Malai.

In the first decade of the 20th century, Appar Swamy Gurukal’s (who left for Swami Malai) descendant wrote a letter to Karaikal’s Swaminathan Gurukal, who was devotionally attached to this temple, to come and take charge at the temple. Around 1910, the court directed a scheme based on which the rights were handed to Chettiars. However, after two years when the accounts were not audited, Thyagaraja Mudaliar brought out a 10 page booklet showcasing the wrongs at the temple. Loka Sigamani Mudaliar then went to the court in 1913 seeking correction of the wrongs. The case went for over two decades. In the interim, the court appointed a middle man for hundial opening and preparing expense and revenue statements. In 1927, Jewels were directed to be jointly in the custody of the Sthaneegars and the trustee.

A Grand Kumbabhisekam in 1936

In 1916, a renovation exercise was started but this took 20 years to complete with a grand Kumbabhisekam taking place in 1936. 

Chettiar descendant Kalyanasundaram played the role of trustee for several decades in the 2nd half of the 20th century. When HRCE came in, they appointed supervisors to take care of hundial counting. Around 1980, the HR & CE took full control of the temple.

Sundarar

When he came here to Thiruvotriyur he found Nandini ( one of the celestial beauties) – Sangili Nachiyar- and ties the wedlock. Finding him devotionally attached, she secures a promise to not leave Thiruvotriyur. It was under the Magila Maram with God as the witness that he offers this promise. When Thiruvarur Chariot festival was coming up, he was keen to go and have darshan. When he was crossing the border of Thiruvotriyur he lost his eyesight as he did not keep his promise. He regained his eyesight later at Kanchi and Thiruvarur. 

Special Abhisekam on Karthigai Pournami

There are three Lords inside the temple complex – Manickam Thyagaraja as the Utsava Moorthy, Aadhi Pureeswarar and Thiruvatreeswarar.The temple is named after Thyagaraja, who provides a special early morning darshan on each of the days of the Brahmotsavam. In Vaikasi, there is a 15 day Vasantha Utsavam for Thyagaraja from Pournami to Amavasai. The idol of Laguleeswarar predates the Thyagaraja idol.  

In the Aththi Mara forest like region, Lord Shiva was in the form a ‘Putru’. When devas began to lose power without Shiva in a proper form of a lingam, they request Brahmma, Vishnu and Adisesha to provide a solution. The three of them arrive here and answering their prayers, Shiva provides darshan on Karthigai full moon day and the next two days. It is on these three days that Shiva’s real roopam is seen at this temple. For the rest of the days in the year, he is seen adorned with Kavacham. It is only on these three days that there is a full abisekam of the Rudra portions of the Lord while for the rest of the year abisekam is only for the peetam.

Vatta Paarai Amman

Rajendra Chozha I installed the idol and did pooja. Maha Thirupurasundari more popularly known as Vadi Vudai Amman provides darshan in a Shringara ‘Saaintha’ Posture. During Navarathri, there is a nine day brahmotsavam for Ambal. Seven days leading to the Chitrai Amavasai, there is a utsavam for Vatta Paarai Amman. 

Sthaneegars, who once upon a time had full control over the temple, have seen their rights being taken away over the last century. They are now involved in protection of idols and jewellary, pooja management and archaka service. Arul Nandi Sivam is of the view that this is all God's game and he is the one who provides solutions to all issues. He believes that his role is to perform his duty as sincerely as possible each day of the year.

In recent years, there has been a spate of issues. A Navagriha Sannidhi has been built right in front of the Sundarar Mandapam that has irked temple activist Ramesh. There is no water in the legendary temple tank. Adi Seshan performed pooja for Shiva and hence the big tank is named after him as Adhi Sesha Thatakam. HRCE spent Rs. 27 Lakhs to renovate the tank from the temple fund. When water did not hold, they spent a few lakhs more from the temple’s income. Yet what one sees on a summer evening in April is of boys playing cricket inside the tank, a scenario that once existed about two decades ago in Therazhundur Divya Desam (Therazhundur). 

Sthaneegam Sundara Raman, who has been at the temple over the last four decades, has provided complete details of the properties and lands belonging to the temple to the HRCE officials but as with most other temples in the state, the income from the temple lands has been dwindling. Some of the lands has also 'gone missing' from the list. In addition, infrastructural changes within the temple complex has become the order of the day. 

For the moment, one has to recite the great sacred verses of Appar (above) and other Saint Poets in praise of the Lords of Thiruvotriyur and remember the devotion displayed by the likes of Kaliya Nayanar and hope that one day the temple will get back to its devotional best.