Srirangam Vedantha Desikar Sannidhi Devathirajan Archaka

Appa Mukkoor Srinivasan, now 85, has been performing archaka service for almost seven decades, while son Devathirajan Bhattar has been the sole archaka at the Vedantha Desikar Sannidhi at the Srirangam Ranganthaswamy temple for almost the last three decades

After having performed archaka service for over six decades in Perumal temples in Bombay, Delhi, Pune and Perungaluthur, 85 year old Mukkoor S Srinivasan is now continuing his relentless devotional endeavor at the 1000 years old Dasavatharam Temple in Srirangam that relates to the legend of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. He performed service under the 44th, 45th and 46th Heads of the Ahobila Mutts, having been personally assigned by them to perform service in different temples across the country.

Srinivasan did his schooling at Sithathur near Kanchipuram before being initiated into the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham and Sanskrit at the renowned Patshala in Madurantakam under T Ramaswamy Iyengar. He then was assigned by the 44th Head of the Ahobila Mutt to perform archaka service. Every decade he was directed to perform service in a different temple by succeeding Chiefs of the Mutt.

He is now 85 but has not yet retired from archaka kainkaryam for he does not want to let go what he considers as his greatest blessing in life. He told this writer at his home next to the Dasavatharam Sannidhi in Srirangam that when the 46th jeer of the Ahobilam Mutt asked him to perform service at this temple, he promised the Jeer that he would continue to perform service as long as his body permits him to. 

Earlier Octogenarian Kannan Bhattar, who passed away recently, had performed service at this temple for over 2 decades (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2009/12/dasavatharam-temple-in-srirangam.html).

Thiru Mangai Azhvaar's praise of Dasavatharam

Thirumangai Azhvaar has made a specific mention of the Dasavatharam Lords in the sixth decad of the fifth canto of Periya Thirumozhi.Pleased with Thirumangai Azhvaar’s efforts in constructing the huge walls, Ranganathaswamy is said to have granted his wish of displaying the 10 Avataarams all at one place. Accordingly, the Lord displayed all his 10 prominent Avatars including the Kalki Avataar.

ஏனாகி உலகிடந்து அன்று இருநிலனும் பெரு விசும்பும் 

தானாய பெருமானை தன்னடியார் மனத்தென்றும் 

தேனாகி அமுதாகித் திகழ்ந்தானை 

மகிழ்ந்தொருகால் 

ஆனாயன் ஆனானை கண்டது தென் அரங்கத்தே- 5.6.3

Thirumangai Azhvaar had two other wishes - for Namperumal to provide darshan to all those who helped him build the huge walls of Srirangam and for Him to come on special street processions via the Southern banks of Coloroon. 

Beginning Kaisika Ekadasi, there are five festive days in the Karthigai month at the Dasavatharam Sannidhi. On the Thiru Karthigai day, the Lord is taken on a procession around the 8 streets- 4 Chitra streets and 4 Uthara streets.

வளர்ந்தவனைத் தடங்கடலுள் வலியுருவில் திருசகடம் 

தளர்ந்துதிர உதைத்தவனை தரியாது அன்று இரணியனை பிளந்தவனை 

பெருநிலம் ஈரடிநீட்டி பண்டொருநாள் அளந்தவனை 

யான் கண்டது அணிநீர்த் தென்னரங்கத்தே - 5.6.4 - Periya Thirumozhi

Thirumangai Azhvaar (Moolavar) is seen with his hands folded in a Saranagathi (Surrender) posture while the Utsava deity is seen in a King (Thirumangai Mannan) like majestic posture with Knife, Sword, Shield and Sickle. 

Dasavatharam temple is located on the banks of Coloroon half a kilometer North West of Ranganathaswamy temple and is open from 7am-10am and 6pm-8pm

Son Devathirajan too dedicates himself to archaka service

Son Devathirajan too has dedicated himself to archaka service. He discontinued school education after class X and learned the agamas from Koothapakkam Raghavendra Swami including Padma Samhitam and the Thiru Aradhana Kramam. He performed Purohitam for a decade or so when quite unexpectedly, he was called in one day by the 45th Jeer of the Ahobila Mutt and asked to perform service at the Vedantha Desikar Sannidhi at the North entrance of the Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam. 

Until then there had been an archaka who performed joint service both at the Mutt and at this Sannidhi. For the first time, in the mid 1990s Devathirajan Bhattar was assigned exclusively to the Desikar Sannidhi as the sole archaka. He was just in his 20s when he handed out this prestigious engagement. 

He told this writer that he had never visualized securing an opportunity to perform service as an archaka at such a prestigious sannidhi where the revered Vaishnavite Archarya had sung verses of praise.

ஆறாத அருள் அமுதம் பொதிந்த கோயில் 

அம்புயத்தோன் அயோத்தி மன்னற்கு அளித்த கோயில் 

தொலாத தனிவீரன் தொழுத கோயில் துணையான வீடணற்கு துணையாம்  கோயில் 

சேராத பயன் எல்லாம் சேர்க்கும் கோயில் 

செழுமறையின் முதல் எழுத்து  சேர்ந்த கோயில் 

தீராத வினை அனைத்தும்  தீர்க்கும் கோயில் 

திருவரங்கம் எனும் கோயில் தானே 

His life over the last three decades has revolved solely around performing daily Thiru Aradhanam at the Vedantha Desikar Sannidhi. Of course, the grand street procession of Vedantha Desikar on the occasion of his avathara utsavam has been missing for several decades but Devathirajan Bhattar is grateful that at least there is a seven day utsavam inside the Sannidhi including the presentation of Divya Prabhandham and Desikar Prabhandham. He also doubles up as the cook at the Madapalli presenting Suddha Saatham in the morning and Dhadhyonam in the evening.

Just like his appa, Devathirajan Bhattar is oblivious to life outside of the Desikar Sannidhi. Every minute he breathes the teachings of the Vaishnavite Acharya. He engages in no gossip, a model he has followed all through his close to three decades of service at this Sannidhi. He has seen two renovation exercises during this phase including a major one undertaken by Venu Srinivasan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/11/venu-srinivasan-srirangam-temple.html) just under a decade ago when additional constructions from the past were removed giving the Sannidhi a bright new spacious look and feel.

He is hoping that the Street Processions of Vedantha Desikar will resume one day during his lifetime but that is not under his control and outside of his powers. For the moment, like he has over the last 27 years, he is solely focused on performing Kainkaryam sincerely for his Acharya. He is devotionally excited over the Desikar Utsavam starting later this week. It is the one week in the year when the Sannidhi reverberates with the Prabhandham recital by a large group of Ghosti members. 

At a time when the new gen is moving away from archaka service, this appa son duo serve as a role model. Both consider it a great blessing to being assigned a lifetime of service to Vedantha Desikar and they continue  to perform this service, almost unnoticed.