Othuvar Danabal Kapali Temple

From Mitsubishi and Ashok Leyland to Kapaleeswarar Temple

Othuvar Danabal has been reciting the sacred verses of the Saivite Saint Poets over the last one year sitting in front of the Navarathri Mandapam 

This section had earlier featured a story on World Bank Consultant V Ramkumar carrying the Theevatti at Kapaleeswarar's processions over the last year (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/07/kapali-theevatti-pmo-consultant-v.html?m=1). This story is about someone who worked for over three decades at the lower rung at two auto majors now taking to the sacred recital of the Saivite Sainy Poets at the Kapali temple. 

It is one year since Othuvar Danabal was assigned the role of reciting the sacred verses at the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore during the non pooja period. 

He is well past sixty and dedicates this opportunity to the then EO D Kaveri. 

In October last, he received a surprise call from Kaveri (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/12/kapali-temple-eo-kaveri-passes-away.html) referring to him as Othuvar “She asked me if I would be interested in reciting the sacred verses at the Kapaleeswarar temple. Within a few hours, I took a bus from Thiruvottiyur to Mylapore and landed up at the temple. She asked me to start reciting from the next morning” he told this writer.

Since that day, he has been reciting on the mike the sacred verses of the Saivite Saint Poets from 10am every morning in front of the Navarathri Mandapam. 

Thiruvottiyur temple to Kapaleeswarar

Othuvar Danabal had earlier donned the role of an Othuvar for over a dozen years at the Thyagaraja temple in Thiruvottiyur. That opportunity too had come after Kaveri who was the EO there saw him singing the sacred verses at the temple as a devotee. “I had darshan at the Vadi Vudai Amman Sannidhi and then moved to the Swami Sannidhi where I sang a couple of verses. She heard my recital and asked her staff to bring me to her office. I was delighted when she asked me to join the temple as an Othuvar. I recited the sacred verses there for 13 years till my retirement."

From Thiruvottiyur to Mylapore every morning

Thiru Gnana Sambandar had walked all the way from Thiruvottiyur to Mylapore and sung praise of thr grand round the year of Kapaleeswarar.

Every morning, Othuvar Danabal takes a bus from Thiruvottiyur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/04/thyagaraja-temple-thiruvotriyur.html) to reach Kapali temple by 9.30am to present the sacred verses of the great saivite saint poets.

On a Tuesday afternoon, with devotees trickling in for the Durga archanai at 3pm, he is seen presenting the verses of Abirami Bhattar on Thiru Kadaiyur with devotional tears rolling down his cheeks. He recites the verses at noon during the anna dhanam and then every evening when the temple opens for darshan before returning home in North Madras at five pm.

This has been a big devotional transformation for him in this phase. Earlier in his life, he had served for many decades in the auto sector as a clerk at Mitsubishi and Ashok Leyland before his life took a devotional turn “I received Deekshai and took up this role as an Othuvar at Thyagaraja temple.”

He travels almost fifty kilometers every day making it to Kapaleeswarar temple all the way from Thiruvottiyur in the morning and heading back home after the recital in the evening. He feels happy about having got this unexpected opportunity at this age “I was leading a retired life in Thiruvottiyur when I received a most unexpected call from the then EO. I have not taken off even on Pongal or Deepavali. My life in this phase is entirely dedicated to Kapaleeswarar and I want to repose the faith placed in my devotion by the late EO (Kaveri).”

While Othuvar Sathgurunathan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/12/othuvar-sargunathan-kapali-temple.html) and Othuvar Vageesan perform the role during the daily pooja and utsavams, Othuvar Danabal recites the sacred verses through the day with great devotion every day of the year in front of the Navarathri Mandapam. His has been a refreshing addition to the devotional spirit at the Kapaleeswarar temple.