Prarthana Sthalam for the Childless
Three Generations of a Priest Family have kept the temple alive when almost all the original inhabitants have left the town seeking greener pastures elsewhere
The Utsavams that had come to a halt in the 1970s have been revived in the last two decades
Three Generations of priests have kept the archaka service going at the Centuries old Santhanarama Temple in Nidamangalam. Srinivasa Raghavan Bhattar (Azhvaar Iyengar), who was renowned for his Veda Parayanam and Prabhandham recital, performed archaka service for seven decades till the mid 1960s. It was a phase when the entire town was vibrant. There were 400 Vaishnavites residing in the Agraharam and Mada Vilagam. There were utsavams all round the year. Rama Navami Brahmotsavam was and continues to be the grandest occasion in the year. On Aadi Pooram, Theppotsavam was celebrated. The Lord provides Garuda Sevai darshan on Akshaya Trithiyai and on Vaikasi Visakam, Nam Azhvaar goes around on procession around the four streets. Azhvaar Iyengar was integral part of the temple celebration
His son Santhana Rama Bhattar (Babu) is now touching 75. He joined the temple in 1970 at a monthly salary of Rs. 100. He learned the Vedas and Prabhandham from his appa, Pancharatra Agama from Melavadayal Narasimhariar and got Deekshai from Varadar Kutti Bhattar in Kanchipuram.
Glory Decades till the 1960s
He recalls the glorious years at the temple from his childhood in the 1950s “Residents would compete with each other for Kainkaryam. There were many varieties of Thaligai presented to the Lord. During the Utsavams, each agraharam resident wanted to outshine the other in Kainkaryam and contributed his/her might to the temple. There was a healthy relationship among the Kainkaryapakas. It was golden years at the temple and all the utsavams were grand. There was daily Vedic and Prabhandham recital. There was Vishroopam Sevai with a Cow standing in front of the Lord. Two cooks and two paricharakas served at the temple till the 1960s and it was great team work.”
Mass Exodus, Dark Decades for the temple
Unfortunately for Santhana Rama Bhattar, the decade of his joining turned out to be one of the worst for temples in TN. Devotion was at a low, the original inhabitants began to move out of most traditional temple towns into larger cities in search of jobs. It was no different here. The Chariot run, a grand event at the temple, had come to a halt. Many of the utsavams could not be conducted for both the devotees and the service personnel dwindled in numbers.
Devotional Commitment - The Lord takes care
But he kept his devotional service going through the challenging decades. When almost every traditionalist had left Nidamangalam, Santhana Rama Bhattar stuck to his archaka service. The salary was in three digits and there was not much of Thattu Kaasu but he had seen his appa's service at the temple through his childhood and teenage years and There was revival at the turn of the century. Devotional wave began to take off and people have begun to get back to temples in a big way in the last two decades. Santhana Rama Bhattar’s decades long service bore fruit when he anchored the 2006 Samprokshanam. It was the grandest consecration that the temple had seen and transformed the activities at the temple. The historical utsavams were revived. The renovation exercise was led by a strong support from the former Chief Election Commissioner Gopalswamy.
Shortly after his most satisfying event, it was time for Santhanarama Bhattar to retire and hand over the baton to the next gen. When Santhanarama Bhattar was to retire over a dozen years ago, his only son Narayanan then in his 30s was performing service in a temple in Madras. The son was doing well financially and Santhanarama (Babu) Bhattar was not keen on asking his son to make the move to this Tier 3 location. His plan was to organize a priest locally.
Returns to Nidamangalam to serve Santhana Ramar
But Narayana Bhattar was keen to continue the century old archaka service that his forefathers had performed and returned to Nidamangalam letting go the financially lucrative temple service in Madras. As with most remote temples, there is currently a shortage of personnel at their temple and Narayanan Bhattar doubles up as both the priest and the cook.
Unmindful of the shortage, Narayanan Bhattar performs Thiru Aradhanam and Thaligai each day of the year both in the morning and evening session. He takes delight in alankarams for the Lord and is particularly pleased that he is able to present to the Lord and distribute prasadam each day to the devotees. Every Friday, he presents Puttu and Kesari to the Lord and distributes to the devotees.
Revival of Utsavams
Most of the Utsavams have been revived at the temple. All the Azhvaar and Acharya utsavams are celebrated with Desikar Utsavam (Puratasi Shravanam), Ramanuja Utasvam (Chitrai Thiruvathirai) and Nam Azhvaar birthday (Vaikasi Visakam) bring particularly special. The Rama Navami Brahmotsavam is the biggest occasion at the temple with Vahana Street Processions in the evening. The Pattabhishekam Thiru Kolam on the last day of Adyayana utsavam is another special occasion at the temple. Anna Dhanam takes place for 2000 people on Aadi Pooram.Navarathri Utsavam draws good devotee crowd at the temple. Narayanan Bhattar is particularly attached to alankarams and takes special care to decorate Thaayar every day of the Utsavam. There is a procession of the Lord on the Horse Vahana on the final day.
Prarthana Sthalam for the Childless
This temple is said to date back to the Chozha period with the Garbha Graha having existed then but the current structure goes back to the late 18th century and the construction by the Thanjavur king Pratap Simha. The Lord appeared in the dreams of the King and asked him to look for an idol of Ramar at this location. The King and his wife Rani Yamunambal were childless. He came here and found the idol beneath the eart. After invoking the blessings of the Lord, she gave birth to a child. Hence the Lord is referred to as Santhana Ramar, a unique name for Lord Rama. This location was historically referred to as Yamunambal Puram. The belief is that those who invoke the blessings of Lord Rama and Sita Devi will be blessed with a child. Every Rohini, there is a Putra Santhana Gopala homam. This is a very special event at the temple and devotees visit in good numbers on the Rohini day every month.
Muthuswamy Dikshithar has presented a song in praise of Santhanaramar in Hindola Vasantha Ragam. The famous Tavil Vidwan Meenakshi Sundaram belonged to this place.
Thiru Aradhanam and Prabhandham Presentation
On normal weekday mornings, there are hardly any devotees and Narayanan Bhattar is almost all alone. But his mind is devotionally attached to Lord Santhana Ramar and he quietly performs the Thiru Aradhanam and presents the morning Thaligai. He also serves as the Prabhandham scholar and presents Nithya Anusanthanam in the evening. It is a way of life that he has committed himself to, devotionally. He is also delighted with the fact that the original inhabitants who are now settled elsewhere are reconnecting with the temple and participating in utsavams. The 2006 Samprokshanam performed by his appa was perhaps the grandest in its history with the participation of former Chief Election Commissioner Gopalaswamy. The temple is due for another one and the application is currently pending with the HR & CE. It is likely the third gen in the family will anchor the next consecration.
Narayanan Bhattar was financially self sufficient in Madras and he could have easily taken the call to continue his life in the Metro but he chose otherwise and returned to his home town. The financial returns may not be anywhere close to that in the city but Service at the Santhana Rama temple at Nidamangalam over the last dozen years has given the 49 year old great satisfaction. He is hoping to spend the rest of his life serving at the feet of Santhana Rama, a unique name for the Lord at this temple. With such devotional commitment, the temple is in safe hands despite the severe shortage of service personnel.
The temple is open from 7am-11am and 5pm-8pm. Contact: Narayanan Bhattar @ 94448 54208.
Nice story!
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