Thiru Vahindrapuram Andhra Priests 10 years

When this Thiru Mangai Azhvaar praised temple was going through tough times, the HR & CE, in an unprecedented move, roped in two archakas from Andhra Pradesh 

10 years later, the ‘Outsider’ tag has been dealt with successfully and the two have made the Deiva Nayakan Perumal temple their own with sincere devotional service

Well over a decade ago, this section had featured a story on Thiru Vahindrapuram Devanatha Perumal Divya Desam where Neela Megha Bhattar, the then 76 year old had performed archaka service for several decades. However, things took a turn for the worst. The retirement of the aged priest followed by issues relating to his son Narasimha Bhattar meant that this historical Divya Desam was short on priests. The authorities searched across the state but did not find takers given some of the challenges that priests faced at this Divya Desam. Shaken by this bizarre scenario of not finding priests for such a historical Divya Desam, they finally they moved states and extended their search to Andhra. And there they found a couple of well-trained agama experts who were willing to wet their feet at this temple praised by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and one where Vaishnavite Acharya Vedanta Desikar resided and composed verses of praise on Deiva Nayakan and Hayagriva. An inscription dating to the rule of Kulotunga III refers to a gift of a gold necklace to Deiva Nayagan and another one refers in simple terms to the Lord of Thiru Vahindrapuram as ‘The Standing Vishnu’.

It is now ten years after the now 34 yera old Ranga Sai Bhattar took over along with his brother Seshu Bhattar as the new priests at Thiru Vahindrapuram. Here’s a look back at how his life has changed over the decade and how for the first time in recent history archakas from outside the state have played a prominent role in reviving a Divya Desam whose future did not look bright in the not so distant past.

Hailing from Machilipatnam, Ranga Sai had moved to Hyderabad where he did his schooling. While his parents were keen for him to continue his academics, Ranga Sai much against their wishes discontinued his schooling and joined the Patshala in Dwaraka Tirumala where he learned Krishna Yajur Veda. He followed this by learning the Vaikanasa Agama from Agnihotri Srinivasachar at the same place.

From Consecration Events to Divya Desam Archaka Service

For a few years, he went around the country including to temples in Maharashtra, UP, MP performing Consecration events and anchoring Brahmotsavam and Pavitrotsavam. After a tiring six hours on a Thursday morning with huge crowd thronging the Hayagriva Sannidhi at Thiru Vahindrapuram, he recounts the surprise and a most unexpected call he received from this Divya Desam “I had performed several consecrations and been part of utsavams in temples across the country. Looking at the way the archakas were treated, I was not keen in taking up archaka service and believed at that time that my future lay in continuing to perform consecrations.”

But how things changed beyond his wildest imagination. He says that the temple authorities reached out to the Tirupathi Vedic University to explore priests who would be interested to take up service at Thiru Vahindrapuram “They reached out to my uncle who was a chief priest at Mangalagiri temple and he suggested my name along with my brother’s.”

No Daily Thiru Aradhanam, Conversion to Pancharatra?

He was still not keen on taking this up but what turned his thought process most dramatically was the meeting with the EO of the temple and the HR & CE Commissioner “They told me that there were no priests at the temple and even to perform the daily Thiru Aradhana was proving to be a challenge and if it continued in the same way it was likely that the temple would be converted to Pancharatra Agama.”

The scenario as described by the authorities left him saddened and he decided to explore this. He went through the interview process and was given the appointment order. As with his quitting academics and taking to Patshala education, he took his own call on becoming an archaka and did not discuss this with anyone including his family and friends.

Thirumangai Azhvaar refers to Deiva Nayakan 

In his Periya Thirumozhi verses, Thirumangai Azhvaar refers to Lord of Thiruvahindrapuram as Deiva Nayakan. He considered it a blessing to serve at such a Divya Desam. 

வையமேழும் உண்டாலிலை வைகியமாயவன் 

அடியவர்க்கு மெய்யனாகிய தெய்வ நாயகனிடம் 

மெய்த குவரைச்சாரல் 

மொய்கள் மாதவி சண்பகம் முயங்கிய முல்லையன்கொடியாட 

செய்ய தாமரை செழும்பணை திகழ்தரு திருவயிந்திரபுரமே 

While he was well off financially performing the consecrations and being involved in annual utsavams in temples, the challenging state of a Divya Desam led to a change in his outlook and he agreed to taking up this challenging role of a priest at Thiru Vahindrapuram. He categorically states that money was not a motivating factor to taking this challenging role and the only reason that he accepted this was after hearing that even daily Thiru Aradhanam was becoming a challenge at this Divya Desam.

The Rank Outsider Tag- A Challenge

When he agreed, he clearly knew the challenges ahead of him for he was a rank outsider from another state. And that was exactly the way it turned out “The locals did not accept me easily and for a long time, I was made to feel that I was an outsider and that I did not belong to this temple. But it did not matter to me, for having accepted the appointment I wanted to discharge my duty to the best of my ability.”

To start with, Ranga Sai Bhattar and his brother Seshu Bhattar along with Jayaprakash ‘Mapillai’ bhattar, who was already present at the temple, were to take care of 10days each at the Perumal, Thayar and Hayagriva Sannidhis. But over time, Seshu Bhattar and Mapillai Bhattar agreed to perform 15days each at Devanatha Perumal and Shengamala Thayar Sannidhi, while Ranga Sai Bhattar performed service at Hayagriva Sannidhi through the entire month. Devotees see this as a Prarthana sthalam for ‘Good Education’ and to cure ‘speechless children’. 

“My great grandfather was a great devotee of Hayagriva and as I turn back the clock, it looks like I was destined to follow in his footsteps and perform service for Hayagriva”, he says on why he felt blessed to take up service at the Hayagriva sannidhi. 

It took him about a year to understand the processes at this Divya Desam but he learned it pretty quickly and has been enjoying his service at Thiru Vahindrapuram including the grand Brahmotsavam and the annual Desikar utsavam.

Grand Festivals - Sacred Bath for Deva Nathan

An Inscription records minute details like taking care of God's bath during his processions on Festive occasions when he leaves the temple premises. One such inscription records an order communicated to the trustees of the temple granting lands and a garden, free of taxes, for expenses of taking God for a sacred bath to the sea near Nissankhamallan Pattinam on the Maasi Magam day.

No Grand Desikar Utsavam Celebrations this year - Processions after Balalayam?

While he faced initial hurdles and overcame that, certain challenges remain. Balalayam was performed recently and the temple will be seeing renovation exercise that will culminate in Samprokshanam. There are sections of the temple service personnel who want procession of Perumal and Thayar to take place at least inside the temple and are not happy with the priests not agreeing to this. But Ranga Sai Bhattar is clear in his thought process “It has been the historical practice in this temple to not have processions after Balalayam till the time the consecration takes place.”

He talks with extreme clarity and points to a judgment in the late 1990s when the court directed the temple to not change the historical practices and says that the practice here has always been to not have processions during the renovation exercise.

There will be no processions during the Desikar Utsavam next month but Ranga Sai Bhattar assures that the Consecration will take place within the next year and the Utsavam will be back in 2024 in its full grandeur with the temple sporting a new look.

Historical Inscriptions

While inscriptions record gifts of lands and villages for offerings and worship to the Lord, gifts of sheep and cows for perpetual lamps, gift of ‘Kasu’ for feeding the Vaishnavas at the temple Mutt and for providing offerings to God on the 8th day of the festival, one of the lengthier inscriptions found on the West Wall of the Prakara that dates back to 1232 AD to the rule of Raja Raja Chola III records the process of securing the release of the Chola Emperor from Kapperunjinga.

When King Vira Narasimha Deva heard that Kapperunjinga had captured the Chola Emperor at Sendamangalam, he vowed to vindicate his title as the leader of the Chola Country. Starting from Dorasamudra, he uprooted the Makara Kingdom, while his two generals destroyed Ellers and Kalliyurmulai village.  On their way, they offered their prayers to the Lord at Ponnambalam following which they went on to destroy Tondaima Nallur.

They then camped at Tiruppadiri Puliyur (today’s Cuddalore) before the Hoysala army marched on to Thiru Vathigai (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2009/07/thiru-vathigai-sara-narayanan.html) destroying that village.  Finally, they reached Sendamangalam forcing Kopperunjinga to release the Chola Emperor. Celebrating the release, the Chola Emperor was accompanied by the army into his dominion. On the Western Gopuram, at the entrance, there is a reference to Tondaiyar Koman Adaiya Valaindapiran and his heroism in battle.

Vishnu, Brahmma and Shiva

Thiru Mangai Azhvaar refers to the Lord as Moovaraagiya Oruvan, a manifestation of Vishnu, Brahmma and Shiva, in his praise in the Periya Thirumozhi.

மூவராகிய ஒருவனை மூவுலகுண்டுமிழ்ந்த அளந்தானை 

தேவர் தானவர் சென்று சென்று இறைஞ்ச தன்திருவயிந்திரபுரத்து 

மேவு சோதியை வேல் வலவன் கலிகன்றி விரித்துரைத்த 

பாவு தண்டமிழ் பத்திவைப்பாடிடப் பாவங்கள் பயிலாவே

Ranga Sai Bhattar's Best Phase in Life

He has completed a decade of archaka service at this Divya Desam and it has been the real high point in his life, an opportunity that had come out of the blue. The ‘Outsider’ tag has finally been set aside. On a crowded Thursday morning, devotees throng the Hayagriva Sannidhi asking for archanai to be performed. It is non stop work for six hours but not once did Ranga Sai Bhattar shrug his face performing archanai with the same devotional intensity at noon just as he had at the beginning of the day. He sees performing archaka service in a Divya Desam where Vedantha Desikar, resided for so many decades, as a God sent opportunity that very few in the world are blessed with “Into my 20s, I never visualized performing daily archaka service and definitely not in a great Divya Desam as this. This opportunity came on its own and I have enjoyed every minute of the last decade serving the devotees of Hayagriva as best as I could.”

Despite the local resistance he has had to face, Ranga Sai Bhattar is friendly with everyone – the HR & CE officials, his archaka colleagues, the Veda Parayanam and Divya Prabhandham Ghosti members and most importantly with the devotees who all sport a smile when they meet him. There is a certain devotional energy when they interact with him and they all go back from the sannidhi with renewed confidence. 

From the uncertainty just a decade ago, the presence of the two ‘Outside’ archakas from Andhra Pradesh has led to a refreshing change at Thiru Vahindrapuram. It may be a first for a TN Divya Desam to have roped in Chief Priests from outside the state but Ranga Sai Bhattar and his brother Seshu Bhattar have come through unscathed and for a large part been able to silence the opposition. They continue to be cheerful in carrying out the service assigned to them having tackled the controversial issues with a sense of devotion.

It has been a Sea Change at the Devanatha Perumal temple in Thiru Vahindrapuram. The long standing priests from the decades gone by are no longer there (Neela Megha Bhattar passed away recently and his son Narasimha Bhattar is fighting a legal battle with the HR & CE) and the new ones have instilled a sense of freshness to this Divya Desam. Finally it is the devotion that counts. And that Ranga Sai Bhattar displays immeasurably. He is in here for the long run and is committed to keep the greatness of this Divya Desam going.

Thiru Vahindrapuram is located 5kms West of Cuddalore on the way to Panruti. Auto from Tiruppadiripuliyur Railway Station costs Rs. 100.  The temple is open from 6.30am to 12noon and from 4pm to 9.30pm