Chidambaram Divya Desam Next Gen Govindarajan Bhattar

Commerce Post Grad lets go Auditor dream to take up Hereditary Archaka Service at Govindaraja Perumal Sannidhi

At a time when the next gen is moving away from temple service into the corporate world, a young 22 year old Post Grad has bucked that trend and taken a big call to continue the family’s hereditary archaka service. As a teenager he wanted to become an auditor, but Govindarajan Bhattar has let go of that dream and joined his appa Balaji Bhattar at the Govindarajan Perumal Divya Desam in Chidambaram. Interestingly, his parents have also found a traditional girl from Nanguneri Divya Desam who was willing to marry a Bhattar with a tuft. 

It was not all rosy for the family in the past. Balaji Bhattar’s great grandfather had been an archaka at the Kaazhicheerama Vinnagaram Divya Desam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2008/05/kaazhicheeraama-vinnagaram.html) and came to perform service at Govindaraja Perumal Sannidhi a century ago when this Divya Desam was short on priests. Historically, there were two archaka clans – one interestingly from Thiru Vahindrapuram (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/08/thiru-vahindrapuram-andhra-priests-10.html) and the other from Chidambaram Devasthanam. In the early 1980s, the Devasthanam Murai priests gave up their service and went away seeking greener pastures.

A Double blow to Balaji Bhattar

Balaji Bhattar’s appa Krishnamurthy Bhattar took charge of the Devasthanam days of service. By the end of that decade, Balaji Bhattar had completed diploma in Civil Engineering and much like his son, a few years ago, wanted to get into the corporate world, given the financial challenges relating to temple service. It had been tough times at the temple in the 1970s and 80s and his appa had taken loans for the marriage of his daughters. As was the trend then, Balaji Bhattar too wanted to move away from temple service. But his appa suffered a heart attack and passed away when he was just 52years. A month later his amma too passed away. It was a double blow to the young teenager and he put aside his corporate plans to continue the hereditary service.

ஊன்வாட உண்ணாது உயிர் காவல் இட்டு

உடலில் பிரியாப் புலன் ஐந்தும் நொந்து

தாம் வாடத் தவம் செய்ய வேண்டா

தமதா இமையோர் உலகு ஆளாகிற்பீர்

கான் ஆட மஞ்சைக் கணம் ஆட மாடே

கயல் ஆடு கால் நீர்ப் பழனம் புடைபோய்த்

தேன் ஆட மாடக்  கொடி ஆடு

தில்லை திருச்சித்ரகூடம் சென்று சேர்மின்களே- Thiru Mangai Azhvaar

He had learned learned the agamas from Manivannan Bhattar,  Pooja Kramam from Seshadri Bhattar of Thadalan Divya Desam, Sirkazhi and Suktas from Kasturi Sastrigal. For almost 15years, Balaji Bhattar performed service at this Divya Desam before a big tragedy struck for the second time in his life.

Balaji Bhattar loses his leg

At the turn of the century, when things were just beginning to look up at the temple with the devotional wave catching up in TN temples, Balaji Bhattar suffered another blow and lost his right leg in a road accident. Like Srikanthan Bhattar of Sirupuliyur Divya Desam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/08/sirupuliyur-divya-desam.html), he fixed an artificial leg but his movement was severely restricted. 

Balaji Bhattar credits Trustee AV Rangachari (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/08/chidambaram-thillai-thiru-chitrakoodam.html) for reposing the faith in his devotional service “The trustees had a discussion about the future of my temple service and AVR insisted that I continue the service. It was he who had the faith in my ability to discharge my duties as an archaka. I appointed assistant priests to support me and that is how it has progressed over the last two decades.”

Challenges in the archaka space

Right from his childhood, motivated primarily by his amma, Govindarajan Bhattar had been supporting his injured appa in temple service. But as has been the trend in TN temples in recent decades, he too was keen on exploring a career outside of the temple space given the uncertainty of the archaka role and the constant external threat. It is also a physical demanding exercise.

Balaji Bhattar, who has continued for over two decades despite his physical challenges says that archaka service takes a physical toll on the body over time "With huge crowd visiting the Sannidhi now, it becomes very tiring for a priest to be present non stop for six hours from 6am. On Thirumanjanam days, especially when there was a shortage of priests, we were completely drained out. Having seen my appa in service and having myself experienced this over a long three decades period, I was keen for my son to go the corporate way as I believed that it would lead long term financial security."

Son surprises his appa

But much to his surprise, his son has chosen to continue the hereditary service and eased himself into the traditional attire. 53 year old Balaji Bhattar has initiated his son into the Koil Kramam and he is now fully equipped to perform Kalyana Utsavam as well as take care of other Utsavams on his own at this Divya Desam. There is no Brahmotsavam at this Divya Desam but there are utsavams round the year including the night long trip to the Eastern Sea Shore in Maasi (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/04/chidambaram-maasi-magam-utsavam_13.html) and the Navarathri Celebrations in Puratasi when on the last day, Thayar goes to the Perumal Sannidhi for the only time in the year. Dolotsavam in Aipasi, Panguni Uthiram, Gokulashtami and Aani Jeshtabhisekam are also celebrated in a grand way at the temple.

3000 Vedic Seers at this Divya Desam

This is a Divya Desam where over a thousand years ago, 3000 Vedic Seers offered worship every day at the feet of  Lord Devathi Devan here at Chidambaram as seen from the verses of praise by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Kulasekara Azhvaar.

மூவாயிரம் நான்மறையாளர் 

நாளும் முறையால் வணங்க

அணங்கு ஆய சோதித் 

தேவாதிதேவன் திகழ் கின்ற 

தில்லை திருச்சித்ர கூடம் சென்று சேர்மின்களே -Thiru Mangai Azhvaar

செந்தளிர்வாய் மலர் நகை சேர் செழுந்தண்  சோலைத் 

தில்லை நகர் திரு சித்திரகூடந் தன்னுள் 

அந்தணர்கள் ஒரு மூவாயிரவர் ஏத்த 

அணிமணி ஆசனத்து இருந்த அம்மான் தானே- Kulasekara Azhvaar

A sudden transformation

Govindarajan Bhattar is happy with the self transformation that saw let go his interest in a corporate career. He says that though he wanted to become an auditor, he realised by the time he completed his graduation that service to Govindaraja Perumal and Pundarika Valli Thayar was bigger than any other work. It was this realisation that led him to give up his dream of working in the audit space and taking to service at the feet of the Divya Desam Lord "There was the temptation earlier when I was in my teens to get into the financial sector but by the time I turned 20, I found clarity in my thought process and decided that archaka service was going to be my way of life and there was nothing bigger than Divya Desam Kainkaryam. I am now fully involved with my  role as an archaka with 30 days of service at the Perumal Sannidhi followed by a full 30days at the Thayar Sannidhi."

While his forefathers went through financially challenging times in the century gone by, Govindarajan Bhattar is happy with the way Thillai Chitrakoota Perumal has taken care of him "We are financially well off and service at the feet of Perumal & Thayar has provided a great deal of satisfaction and contentment. My wife has also been a great motivator and her backing has made me even more confident that I have made the right choice."

Earlier this year, the next gen (son of the priest) at Thiruvali Thirunagari Divya Desam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/11/thirunagari-thirumangai-azhvaar-utsavam.html), not far from here, made his way into a multi national firm after completing his Engineering. Likewise in other temples too in Tamil Nadu, the next gen is taking to professional degrees in academics and moving into the corporate world.  But there are still a few like Govindarajan Bhattar who are choosing archaka service as a way of life and that is heartening for devotees (Rahul Bhattar of Thenthiruperai is another -https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/10/thenthiruperai-rahul-bhattar.html). With him at the helm, the Thillai Chitrakootam Divya Desam in Chidambaram is likely to see through another generation of traditional service carrying forward the greatness of this Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Kulasekara Azhvaar praised Divya Desam.