Semmangudi Varadaraja Bhattar

Plight of a Remote Temple Priest

He has been performing daily aradhanam at multiple village temples for decades for financial survival but the Salary and Thattu Kaasu are now proving insufficient to run a family

Varadaraja Bhattar (referred to as Vardhu Bhattar in temple circles) is a prime example of serving in remote non Divya Desam temples. He has spent the last four decades in Semmangudi (Sembangudi), residing in the agraharam where the renowned musician Srinivasa Iyer once lived. He learned the agamas from his grandfather and even as a young boy accompanied him to the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Semmangudi.

The salary at the temple was quite low and Thattu Kaasu almost non-existent. But the temple had handed his forefathers farming land from which they earned some income to run their family. His appa had been bed ridden for many years before he passed away. 

Varadaraja Bhattar has been enterprising in his devotional endeavor to meet the monthly financial requirements to run a family. He identified around 10 remote temples in the area that had been left unattended and secured a couple of them for each of his brothers to perform archaka service. He himself has also been performing pooja at the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Sri Vanjiyam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2014/08/srivanchiyam-varadaraja-perumal-temple.html), about 10kms from Semmangudi. In addition to the three Kaalam pooja at Semmangudi, he has also been performing daily pooja in a couple of other remote village temples. While he used to cycle his way to these temples in earlier decades, he now rides a two wheeler each day to these temples. 

Varadaraja Bhattar had received offers from overseas but did not go. Within TN, He had forged an early love for cows and has had at least of couple of them at home over the last two decades. When he lost his parents, he had to sell his cows to perform Pitru Kaaryam such was his financial state. He is now back to bringing up a couple of cows but recently faced another big challenge at home. 

The house that he had lived in the agraharam since his childhood had become dilapidated with water seeping in during monsoon. Over the last year, he has moved to another house near the temple.

The income from the farm lands has not been consistent given the vagaries of the monsoon. With his two school going daughters, the current finances from these remote temples are not proving sufficient. He is hoping that the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Semmangudi where he has served for decades would offer him a higher salary and also rebuild the agraharam house where he has spent close to four decades.

For the moment though he continues to perform service to Varadaraja Perumal just in the way he had performed when he started out decades ago with the firm belief that the Lord for whom he has served for long will take good care of him and his family.

Varadarajan Bhattar can be reached on 9442467631