Srirangam Era Pathu Vedu Pari 2023

The 8th day of the Era Pathu Utsavam was marked by an amazing display of Kona Voiyali by the Sripatham Personnel, the enactment of the historical Vedu Pari episode and Veenai Ekantham at 2am

5yr son in ICU but Barathwajan Araiyar presents Nedumaarkadimai abhinayam at midnight

The ten day Era Pathu ‘Thiruvoimozhi Thirunaal’ Utsavam at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam was created by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar in recognition of Namazhvaar’s contribution to the devotional world. While the Pagal Pathu utsavam that precedes Vaikunta Ekadasi was started later to recognize the contribution of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar, the first part of the eighth day of the Era Pathu Utsavam is dedicated to the last of the Azhvaars with the enactment of his transformation from a king to a Saint poet enacted at the Manal Veli on the Eastern side of the temple.

Its 4.30pm on Saturday (Dec 30) evening and the entire temple is packed with year end devotees seeking darshan of Moolavar Ranganatha in Muthangi. The long queue extended right up to the far corner of the East and West Uthira Starts outside the Ranga Ranga Gopuram. 

HR &CE Joint Commissioner Mariappan who took charge in the second of this year has been clear with his philosophy since the time he has taken charge at the temple. His motto has been to reduce special entry for those throwing up ‘referral names’. In line with his staffer behind the Garuda Sannidhi ensured that every single devotee irrespective of their status only goes through the queue.

Through the Vellam Gopuram side, this devotee, who wanted to experience only the utsavar, managed to reach the Naazhi ketten Vaasal ahead of the start of the procession which was slated for 5pm. While on most other days in the year, Namperumal begins his procession through the western side, this one on the Golden Horse Vahana was through the eastern side. 

Elaborate arrangements had been made at the Manal Veli where the events were to unfold on the evening. Devotees seated themselves on the far corner of the north end in good numbers. On the east and west side too, devotees stood in good numbers behind the ropes held by the police personnel. On the South end of the Manal Veli, Ramanuja and Namazhvaar remained stationed to welcome Namperumal on to the Manal Veli. Cameramen from TV channels had taken vantage positions on all sides of the Manal Veli to record this once in a year enactment of the historical episode.

Kona Voiyali display delights the devotees

It was past 5.30pm when to the loud cheer from the thousands of devotees, the Vethal members, the voluntary Sripatham service personnel, presented a wonderful exhibition of Kona Voiyali from the South end of Manal Veli to the North end and then back to the South end. For a large number of devotees, the zig zag movement of Namperumal across the Manal Veli at a rapid speed was a high point of the evening’s events.

While many left the Manal Veli following the Kona Voiyali, the more traditional ones remained for the enactment of Vedu Pari, the event wherein Thiru Mangai Mannan transformed himself to Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. 

Vedu Pari enactment 

Born in Thiru Kuraiyulur, 2kms from the Thiruvali-ThiruNagari Divya Desam near Sirkazhi, Thirumangai Mannan (King), who belonged to the Kallar Community, fell in love with the beautiful Kumudavalli of Annan Koil. She was keen to get him initiated into Vaishnavism and devoted to Lord Vishnu. To lead him into this path, she laid down ‘wedding’ conditions, one of which was to feed 1008 Vaishnavites every day. The story goes that Thirumangai Mannan, in this attempt, lost a lot of his wealth. To fulfil the conditions, he turned a thief and resorted to ‘stealing’. One night, Thirumangai Mannan saw a newly married couple, decked with jewellery, coming his way. It was Lord Ranganatha of Thirunagari taking along with him Amruthavalli Thayar of Thiruvali. In that darkness, in Vedarajapuram (the village between Thiruvali and Thirunagari), he waylaid the disguised Lord Ranganatha and threatened him by lashing out his spear. With all his might, he also tried to bite and remove the Perumal’s ring. Having picked up the jewellery and packed it into a sack, Thirumangai found the bag far too heavy. Despite repeated attempts, he could not lift the bag making him wonder if the person in front of him had a magic mantra. It was then that the disguised Lord Ranganatha initiated the ‘Astachara Mantra’ by whispering into the ears of Thirumangai. It was after this initiation that Thirumangai Mannan became Thirumangai Azhvaar.

As has been the practice at this temple, those from the Kallar Community came with tall sticks in an enactment of way laying the Lord and robbing him of his jewels and belongings. Soon after, the king received the enlightenment from Namperumal and was seen in a transformed state as a Saint Poet presenting himself with folded hands before the Lord of Srirangam. This was followed by reading out of the jewels of Namperumal to confirm that his belongings were all intact and nothing had been lost in the robbery attempt. Soon after Araiyar Krishnan presented the first set of verses of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar after he became a Saint Poet – Vaadinen Vaadi - marking the end of the enactment of the Vedu Pari episode on this 8th evening of the Era Pathu Utsavam. 

By 8pm, a large part of the devotees had left the Manal Veli though the crowd continued to swell inside the Ariya Bhattal Vaasal for Moolavar Muthangi darshan.

            Namperumal at 2.30am 

A trend in recent years has been the increasing number of people from the Kallar community seeking the ‘mariyathai’. In the last decades of the previous century, there were around 10 devotees who received the parivattam and shatari presentation following the Vedu Pari episode but it has now gone so high that it took almost an hour for the priests to go through this process at the Manal Veli. 

Well past 9pm, the Azhvaars and Acharyas had made their way to the 1000 pillared mandapam. It was almost close to 10pm, when Namperumal on the horse vahana finally made his way to the Thiru Maa Mani mandapam within the 1000 pillared complex.

The police personnel on this evening had managed the huge crowd quite well and most who had gathered at the Manal Veli for the Kona Voiyali and Vedu Pari enactment went back happy.

Araiyar Sevai

With a cone-like coloured cap on the head and a sacred garland on their chest, Araiyars, descendants of Nathamuni, present the divine hymns of the Azhvaars through a differentiated musical chanting and 

dance performance using two cymbals in their hands.

5year son in ICU but Barathwajan Araiyar presents abhinayam

It was 10.45pm when the Araiyars began their presentation of the eighth canto of Tiruvoimozhi verses  praising the Lords of Thiru Chengannur, Thiru Kadithanam and (Kutta Nattu) Sirupuliyur with around a 100 devotees staying through their 90 minute enactment. Pilot Barathwajan Araiyar presented the Abhinayam of the Nedumaarkadimai verses, the last decad of the 8th canto. His devotional commitment was extraordinary given the fact that his 5 year old son (who had been at the araiyar sevai earlier this week on Tuesday on the 4th day of the Era Pathu Utsavam) is in the ICU after a bad fall the previous day. Soon after the araiyar Sevai performance, he was all in tears before namperumal for having given him the courage to perform for 90minutes despite the emergency. 

A surprisingly big highlight of this late Saturday evening was that there was pin drop silence through the entire presentation by the Araiyars. While the crowd had been quite noisy at the Manal Veli, the traditional ones remained glued to the special recital of the Tiruvoimozhi verses and the Abhinayam.

Pilot Araiyar Barathwajan  as a 3 year boy

The longish mariyathai to the Kallar community on the Manal Veli meant the schedule of the evening was behind by an hour. It was 1.45am when Namperumal began his procession from the 1000 pillared mandapam to his abode. Inside the Naazhi Ketten Vaasal, a sizeable crowd had already gathered ahead of the Veenai Ekantham.

Veenai Ekantham at 2am

Ramanuja laid down specific processes to be followed in each area of service at the Ranganathaswamy 

temple in Srirangam. He ensured that people from different walks of life participated in the temple routine. Finding reference to the Veenai (Yaazh) in several pasurams of the Azhwars, he wanted Veena recital to form an integral part of the daily routine at the temple and assigned ‘Sathya Kootam’, a clan belonging to a village near Srirangam and well versed in this art form. 

The team members of the Veenai Ekantham too had made their way and were ready by 1.30am. Unfortunately the Veenai Vidwans were without senior member Srinivasan, who suffered a stroke soon after the Veenai Ekantham presentation a couple of nights earlier and has been hospitalized with a ‘block’.

Usually the Veenai Vidwans are accommodative on the 7th and 8th days of the Era Pathu Utsavam as Namperumal and the service personnel have already had a very long evening. While their presentation on all other evenings goes up to one hour, on this late Saturday night they confined themselves to presenting the glorious verses of the ‘man of the day’ Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. 

In a number of verses in the Periya Thirumozhi, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar repents for the fallacies of his earlier days and asks for devotees to surrender to the Lord at least in the later phase in one’s life.

தெரியேன் பாலகனாய் பல தீமைகள் செய்துமிட்டேன் 

பெரியேன் ஆயினபின் பிரர்கே உழைத்து ஏழை ஆனேன் 

கரிசேர் பூம்புழில் சூழ் கனமாமலை வேங்கடவா 

அரியே வந்தடைந்தேன் அடியேனை ஆட்கொண்டருலே  

பற்றேல் ஒன்றுமிலேன் பாவமே செய்து பாவி ஆனேன் 

மற்றேல் ஒன்றறியேன் மாயனே எங்கள் மாதவனே 

கலதேன் பாயத்தொழுகும் கமலச்சுனை வேங்கடவா 

ஆற்றேன் வந்தடைந்தேன் அடியேனை ஆட்கொண்டருளே

It was well past 2.30am when the Sripatham personnel presented the Padi Etra Sevai to the tunes of ‘Eth Sarigai’ of the Veena Vidwans bringing to end the eighth day of the Era Pathu Utsavam, one that the devotees at the Srirangam temple thoroughly enjoyed.

Nachiyar Koil Kal Garuda Sevai 2023

Devotee from Netherlands has a debut experience of Kal Garuda Sevai procession at Thiru Naraiyur

After a break for a few years, first because of the Pandemic and then the year long Thiruppani works, the now popular Kal Garuda Sevai was back at the Nachiyar Koil Divya Desam on Tuesday much to the delight of the devotees. Only a few days earlier, the mandalabhisekam had been performed on the 48th day after the consecration. On Tuesday evening, there was a surprise visitor from the Netherlands to watch this grand enactment of Kal Garuda increasing in the weight and more sripatham personnel required to carry him at every succeeding stage of the procession from the Moolasthanam. 

32 year old V Vidhvath, who is into research and production of medicines for cancer treatment at a multi national firm in the Netherlands, had arrived in Chennai only on Friday evening and he immediately headed to Kumbakonam to watch Kal Garudar carrying Srinivasa Perumal on his shoulder as part of the fourth day celebrations of the Margazhi Brahmotsavam.

The prominence for Garuda at Nachiyar Koil began in the 1990s when Gopinathan Bhattar and his brother created a seven week prarthana model for devotees invoking the blessings of Garuda for their wishes to be fulfilled. Three decades later, this historical temple praised with a century of verses by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar, has come to be famous worldwide for this twice a year Kal Garuda Sevai procession when Garuda’s weight is said to increase manifold during the procession.

மாண் கொண்ட தோல் மார்வின் மாணியாய் 

மாவலி மண் தான் கொண்டு தாளால் அளந்த பெருமானே 

தேன் கொண்ட சாரல் திருவேங்கடத்தானை  

நான் சென்று நாடி நறையூரில் கண்டேனே - Periya Thirumozhi 6.8.1

It was the first time in his life that Vidhvath, who holds a P.Hd from the Delft University, was watching a grand enactment at a Brahmotsavam in a Divya Desam. And naturally his excitement was palpable. He told this writer late on Tuesday night following the street procession that he been really curious about the Kal Garuda procession and how the events would unfold in the evening “Expectation was high with a lot of energy among the devotees. There was a certain buzz inside the temple. I got early to the temple to capture a vantage position near the Garuda Sannidhi so I could get a close look at the start of the procession.”

As has been the trend at this utsavam, people began to trickle in just after 5pm.  “You could sense that something was happening as each corner of the temple was buzzing with activity.” 

With the Kal Garuda Sevai taking place after a few years, it was natural for the temple authorities to expect a huge crowd. Being one of the first entrants at the temple on this evening, Vidhvath saw firsthand every move of the priests, the service personnel and the devotees “Since I was there from 4.30pm, I could see the mood change with every passing moment.  I entered the temple with great anticipation and curiosity having read about the utsavam in the past. By 5.30pm, the police personnel had gathered in good numbers even as one could sense a bit of restlessness among the devotees, each being eager to get a first look of the beautifully decorated Garuda. Hot milk was presented to the devotees and with the passing of each minute, anticipation of that much awaited moment was on the rise. More and more people wanted to enter the sannidhi and get close to Garuda as possible.” 

By 6pm, the entire long pathway leading to the Garuda Sannidhi was packed with hundreds of devotees lined up on either side. Everyone was treated to a delightful presentation of Tavil and Nagaswaram. The entire mood had turned completely festive. And right opposite the sannidhi, there were scores of people waiting with bated breath for the unveiling of the decorated vahana. 

In a matter of minutes, the crowd extended right to the Eastern Raja Gopuram and there was not an inch of space left in the entire temple complex. 

 

And then it happened all too quickly. Garuda’s strode down the steep steps of this Mani Mada Koil built by Ko Chenganan Koil at a rapid pace. Flowers were thrown on Garuda during this procession. Folded hands went up invoking the blessings of Garuda while in line with the current trend phone cameras and videos too went to capture that magical moment of Sripatham carrying Kal Garuda. The Sripatham personnel treated the devotees to a fast paced Voyali going back and forth a few times before Kal Garuda made his way to the alankara mandapam at the Eastern entrance for Srinivasa Perumal to be mounted on the Garuda Vahana. 

While the utsava deity was mounted on to his Vahana, devotees made their way atop the Mada Koil for a darshan of  the Moolavar Srinivasa Perumal and Vanjula Valli Thayar. 

Inside the temple complex, Vidvath saw quite an energetic Namasankeerthanam concert with active participation from the audience.

முருகிலங்கு கனிதுவர்வாய் பின்னை கேள்வன் மன்னெல்லாம்  முன்னவியச்சென்று 

வென்றிச் செருக்கழுத்துத் ததிறலழிய செற்ற வேந்தன் சிறந்துணிந்தான் திருவடினும் சென்னிவைப்பீர் 

இருக்கிலங்கு திருமொழி வாய் எண்தோள் ஈசற்கு எழில் மாட எழுபதும் செய்து உலகமாண்ட 

திருகுலத்து வளச்சோழன் சேர்ந்த கோயில் திரு நறையூர் மணி மாட சேர்மின்களே 

The Street Procession at 9pm

It was almost 9pm when the screen opened for the second time this evening. Srinivasa Perumal provided darshan atop Kal Garuda. Shortly after Perumal along with Vanjula Valli Thayar made their way around the four streets on a wheeled procession which has become a norm in remote towns in Tamil Nadu. 

It was past midnight when Kal Garuda made his way back to the temple after the devotees were treated to a delightful darshan.

For Netherlander Vidhvath, it was a new experience that he referred to as a fantastic one. He even had unexpected tears rolling down his cheeks watching the magical moment of Moolavar Kal Garuda making his way down the steps from almost a touching distance. Only a couple of days earlier, he had had a 24 hour flight trip from Europe and had felt the jet lag. And soon after, he took a train to Kumbakonam. He says that Kal Garuda energized him dramatically “Everything changed once I was at the Garuda Sannidhi. The anticipation and the buzz among the devotees captivated me. I found that everyone had their reason to come to the temple and to pray. And each expressed his/her devotion in their own way.”

Clearly the Kal Garuda Sevai is gaining in popularity and is going global.

Tail Piece

It has been a fulfilling couple of months for Gopinathan Bhattar ( https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/08/nachiyar-koil-gopi-bhattar.html?m=1). After almost single handedly carrying out the renovation exercise for a year securing donor devotees in good numbers and organizing the consecration on October 27, he also anchored the mandalabhisekam on December 14. And then within 36 hours of the event, the Margazhi Brahmotsavam began last Friday. The successful presentation of the Kal Garuda Sevai on this Tuesday evening is a crown in his cap and he can enjoy some well earned rest.

Nachiyar Koil Thirumangai Azhvaar Avathara Utsavam

After the big facelift to the Thiru Mangai Azhvaar Sannidhi, his Avathara Utsavam was celebrated in a grand way on Monday

Srinivasa Perumal and Vanjulavalli Thaayar made their to his Sannidhi to recognise his big contribution to the temple

100 verses of Praise on Thiru Naraiyur and the two Madals were dedicated entirely to this temple

The Lord of Thiru Naraiyur initiated the Pancha Samaskaaram on Thiru Mangai Azhvaar, the only Divya Desam Lord to have performed this on an Azhvaar. And thus Thiru Mangai Azhvaar refers to him in his verses of praise in the Periya Thirumozhi as ‘Thiru Naraiyur Nambi’.  Delighted with his experience here, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar praised the Lord with a century of verses. The only other Lord that Thiru Mangai Azhvaar has praised with a 100 Paasurams is Thiru Kannapuram Sowri Rajan Perumal, where the Lord explained the Thiru Mandhiram to Thirumangai Azhvaar.

On October 27, a grand consecration took place after the biggest renovation exercise seen at the temple in several decades. The entire flooring around the moolavar sannidhi has been re-laid. The azhvaar acharya sannidhis at the eastern entrance has been restored to its historical glory. Right in front of the historical Thirumangai azhvaar sannidh had been the temple HRCE office for decades. It had become difficult for devotees to have darshan at this sannidhi because of the presence of the temple office. As part of the current restoration the office was shifted to the opposite side and a big facelift was given to this sannidhi.

A month after Consecration

Exactly a month later, on Monday (Nov 27), on the occasion of his birthday, the utsavar deity of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar made his way from the Azhvaar Acharya Sannidhi to his Sannidhi on the north side of the eastern entrance. Gopinathan Bhattar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/08/nachiyar-koil-gopi-bhattar.html), who anchored the big renovation single handedly, performed a Thirumanjanam for both the moolavar and utsavar.

Prominence for Goddess

Lord was of the view that in Kali Yugam men would have to listen to women (husband to listen to wife’s words). Hence, he decided that to first serve as an example and listen to the Goddess here. On all occasions, the first rights are reserved for the Nachiyar. Even the sacred food is first served to the Nachiyar and only then to the Naraiyur Nambi. Being a temple where Goddess has prominence, one can see the Lord slightly by the side and the Goddess is the one who has the prominent position inside the sanctum. Even from the entrance of the temple, one gets a glimpse of Vanjulavalli Nachiyar.

Prabhandam members present Thiru Mangai Azhvaar's verses

Immediately after the Thirumanjanam, the grandly decorated Srinivasa Perumal and Vanjulavalli Thayar made their way from atop the Moolavar Sannidhi (this is a Mada Koil) on a procession to Thiru Mangai Azhvaar’s Sannidhi. A couple of ghosti members from Sarangapani Koil including the erstwhile Maniyam turned up for the Prabhandham Ghosti and for about an hour, the birthday boy Thiru Mangai Azhvaar listened to the sacred verses rendered by him over a 1000 years ago with the Divine Couple enjoyin the swing.

For the first time in several decades, the avathara utsavam of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar has been celebrated thus - with the sannidhi visible without the distraction of the office.

'Mathil Inghe, Madal Anghe’ -  Thiru Mangai to Srirangam Ranganatha

As seen in an earlier story on Srirangam, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar had built the wall at Srirangam Ranganatha temple (http://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2007/09/108-divya-desams-srirangam-lord.html). So pleased was Lord Ranganatha with Thiru Mangai Azhvaar that he wanted him to praise with Madal - Love Letters to the Lord. However, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar told Ranganatha that the Madal was dedicated solely to the Naraiyur Lord: “Mathil Inghe, Madal Anghe” meaning ‘Wall in Srirangam” and “Letters in Thiru Naraiyur”. He composed two Madals - Periya Thiru Madal and Siriya Thiru Madal, both of which were presented this morning by the prabhandam ghosti members as part of the Avathara Utsavam celebrations (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2012/10/thirumangai-azhvaars-madal.html).

Thiru Mangai Azhvaars praise -Ko Chenganan's Mada Koil

As the concluding part of the utsavam, Perumal’s garland was presented to Thiru Mangai Azhvaar in happiness of him having sung a 100 verses of praise. Kathambha Rice, Puliyodharai and Dhadhyonam was presented as part of the celebratory event. Following the divine couple made their way back to their sannidhi climbing the big steps built by Ko Chenganan Chozhan who did not want elephant to enter the temple complex and hence constructed this as Mada Koil, praised so in a decad of verses by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2014/12/ko-chenganan-and-nachiyar-koil-divya.html).

வம்பு அவிழும் செண்பகத்தின் வாசம் உண்டு

மணி வண்டு வகுளத்தின் மலர்மேல் வைகு

செம்பியன் கோச் செங்கணான் சேர்ந்த கோயில்

திருநறையூர் மணிமாடம் சேர்மின்களே

On the previous evening, on the occasion of Vaikanasa Deepam, over a 1000 lamps were lit on these Mada Koil steps and the newly renovated temple that is shining bright during the day, had an even more glowing look late on Sunday evening.

Gopinathan Bhattar sported a happy smile at the end of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar's utsavam on Monday. It was his effort that led to the relocation of the temple office to the other side which paved the way for the Avathara Utsavam celebration a month after the consecration. His is an example of working with single minded devotion towards restoring the temple and to reviving the utsavam to its historical grandeur. 

Kal Garuda Sevai on Dec 19

Street  Procession for the now popular Margazhi Kal Garuda Seva has not taken place in the last few years first because of the Pandemic and then last year because of the Thiruppani works. Gopi Bhattar is all excited about the prospects of a huge crowd at the Kal Garuda Sevai procession this year on Tuesday December 19 that follows within 5 days of the mandalaabishekam (Dec 14). By this time, he would have also completed the refurbishing of the huge temple tank ahead of the Theppotsavam.

The Kal Garuda Sevai will be a big event for him as it's the first one after the consecration and several thousands of devotees will be able to experience the positive vibrations at the temple. 

Othuvar Bhargavi Dy CFO to Othuvar Thiru Valleeswarar Padi

35 year old Bhargavi has taken a devotional call to quit a high paying corporate job to perform service as an Othuvar in a Paadal Petra Sthalam

This section had featured a story in 2020 on how finance sector professional Harini Yogalakshmi came all the way from Erode to have darshan of Adikaara Nandi and Rishabham during the Panguni Utsavam at the Kapaleeeswarar temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/04/kapali-panguni-utsavam.html) and last year a story on college student Aparna Sai staying through the night for the Rishabham procession (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/03/kapali-devotee-aparna-panguni-utsavam.html). This story is of another staunch Kapali devotee who has taken her devotion to a completely different level. She just quit a high paying corporate job at a top notch logistics company to don the role of an Othuvar at a Paadal Petra Sthalam. Here’s the story.

Challenging Childhood Phase

Struck by financial poverty, Bhargavi could only go to a Corporation school in Perambur. She took to the Commerce group at the Kandakottai Govt school in Doveton and was keen on pursuing CA. But the needs at home meant that she had get on to a job quickly and start earning even as a teenager. On many days, she ate the ‘amman temple koozh’ for lunch and that was the only food she had on those days. But she was blessed with extreme devotion. Her patti Dakshayini initiated her into devotional songs when she was two years old. Even before she was into her teens, she walked a mindboggling 75 kms every year in Puratasi to have darshan of Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal in Thirumalai Vaiyavoor (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2011/01/thirumalai-vaiyavoor-prasanna-venkatesa.html). All through that long walk from Chennai, she would recite Bhajans along with her Patti. During the Chariot Festival of Venkatesa Perumal, she would sing the sacred verses walking behind  the Chariot.

There was little else she did in her childhood with almost all her time outside of school being spent in spiritual activities and temple visits.

Karthigai Pournami

On a highly crowded Pournami Sunday morning at the Thiru Valleeswaram temple in Thiru Valithayam, Padi, Othuvar Bhargavi rolls out with great devotion sacred verses on Pillayar and then in front of Murugan adorned in a Grand Santhana Kappu. Surprisingly there is pin drop silence as the 100 odd devotees around the Sannidhi listen to her presentation of Thiruppugazh. A few minutes later two young girls come up to her with devotional tears rolling down their cheek “Madam, your devotion was extraordinary. We were spell bound with your devotional voice and your presentation” they tell her in the South Prakara.

Long queue stacked up at the temple to have darshan on the Karthigai Deepam day. Many other devotees come up to her to praise her presentation. “No amount of money in the corporate world can match the opportunity to present the sacred verses in front of the Lord every day” she tells this writer even as more devotees turn to her with a word of praise for her presentation.

“Thirumalai Vaiyavoor temple was my first big initiation into the spiritual world and that will always stand etched in my memory. Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal meant everything to me in my teenage phase "My Patti was my first Gurunathar and she initiated into me songs on Pillayar, Murugar as well as Vishnu Sahasranamam in addition to taking me on Paathai Yathirai. My Patti even let go of her jewels to meet some of my expenses in that phase such was her contribution in my  life. ”

Tier 1 Companies for a decade

Scholarship from Bhoomika trust helped her graduate in Commerce at Ethiraj College and she went on to do MBA in Finance. For over a decade, she worked in top notch tier 1 IT companies such as Wipro and TCS in the finance vertical and then as a DY CFO at CMA CGA, a logistics player with presence in over 150 countries. While the family situation warranted this, she continued to be highly spiritual. Even at the office she sported the big sacred white ash much to everyone’s surprise. She has always been seen at the Kapali temple with Rudraksham Maalai.

Alongside her corporate work, she did the Saiva Siddhantham course at the Thiruvaduthurai Atheenam. She had always been interested in Thirumurai and she did a course in Thevaram /Thiruvachakam as well. She credits Nagappan Othuvar and Murugappan, with over three decades experience in Thirumurai, as the two who motivated and encouraged her to go deep into this.

The transformation at Kapali

But working well over 12 hours every day was taking a toll on her health and there were issues on work life balance as well especially after the birth of her daughter. It was then that she visited the Kapaleeswarar temple and it immediately brought about a transformation in her way of life “Kapali showed me the way and has been a guiding force every minute of my since then. I felt a certain peace there. I involved myself in long conversations with him and would just stand in front of Somaskandar and talk to him. My life changed dramatically since the time I visited Kapali. Now, there is no decision I take without approval from Kapali.”

During her weekend trips to Kapali over the last many years, she would sit near the Kapaleeswarar Sannidhi and sing the sacred verses. And many times, she would roll into tears of bhakthi as she rendered the sacred verses. She says that her inspiration has always been Othuvar Sathgurunathan  (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/12/othuvar-sargunathan-kapali-temple.html?m=1) . 

In that phase, she also visited Paadal Petra Sthalams across TN and recited the sacred verses in those temples.

"Once you start looking at Him, it's difficult to take your eyes off", she says with her thoughts ever on Kapali and his handsome image. 

She has also led many corporate workers facing challenges in life to the Kapali temple and found peaceful solutions for them.  She sees herself continuing to don that role of leading devotees on the dharmic path.

Inspiration from a SVC member

Only last Sunday, this section featured a story on Station Vigilance Committee and its role at Kapali Utsavams (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/11/sankar-ks-kapali-festival-crowd.html). It was during the Arubathumoovar utsavam last year that Elango, a senior member of the SVC team, impressed with her devotional recitals suggested to her to take Deekshai which she did from the Thiruvaduthurai Atheenam.

Through the years, she had been to the Thiru Valleeswarar temple in Padi “Singing the thevaram verses in front of the Lord gave a great deal of happiness. And I once asked him if I could sing in front of him everyday.”

In June this year, as she was browsing her phone, she found the HRCE advertising for an opening for Othuvars. "I applied and was interviewed in July by a panel of seven members that was video recorded as well. I was delighted to receive the appointment order to serve at a temple praised by Thiru Gnana Sambandar and one visited by the Great Raja Raja Chozhan." 

While it was a great opportunity  to be rendering the sacred verses at the Thiru  Valleeswarar temple as an Othuvar, the salary was just one fifth of what she had been earning at the corporate work place. She credits her husband for endorsing her decision "Most of the colleagues at the work place thought I was mad to be quitting a high paying job. My appa, who had encountered financial challenges in his life, too did not approve of this. It is only because of the great support from my husband (Kamalakannan) that I was able to quit the high paying corporate job. Without him agreeing to a big cut in my salary, this transformation would not have been possible."

"We went to the Kapali temple with the appointment order and presented it at Kapali’s feet."

Othuvar Bhargavi is just two months old at the Thiru Valleeswarar temple in Thiru Valithaayam but already she has been able to find great devotional vibes. The priests have been very supporting of her and she has been able to render the verses for a bit longer.  

Having gone through a chequered childhood, she is keen to support the education of Shiva Adiyars. She says that her patti always stressed the importance of getting the blessings of elders. At the Thiru Valleeswarar temple, she says she has been getting them in plenty in the last two months and she is grateful to God for that. 

Just before she quit her corporate job a few months back, she had been earning close to six digit salary. Both in that high flying  phase and now as the Othuvar in a Paadal Petra Sthalam, she counts two qualities as the most important ones “I want to stay grounded at all times in my life and to be humble, especially when I am on a high.” And of course she is keen to be a lifelong devotee of Kapali, a temple that she rushes off too for a darshan of her favorite Somaskandar on this Sunday afternoon after she has performed her role as an Othuvar at the Thiru Valleeswarar temple in Padi.

Thiru Vellarai New Raja Gopuram by end 2025

7 Tier 125 Feet Raja Gopuram to come up in Thiru Vellarai Divya Desam by 2025 end 

Coimbatore Devotee Jayapal will spend close to Rs. 8 crores on the construction as the sole donor

This complete 'Lime Mortar' Raja Gopuram will rank amongst the tallest Divya Desam Towers

The final hurdle has been overcome. The foundation stone for the Northern Raja Gopuram at Pundareekakshan Divya Desam in Thiru Vellarai, the birth place of Uyyakondan and Engal Azhvaan, was laid this week by HRCE minister PK Sekar Babu and work began this weekend. This section had earlier featured a couple of stories, one in 2017 and another last year, on the hurdles facing the construction of the Raja Gopuram 

The Towers at the main entry point of two prominent and ancient Divya Desams near Trichy had been left as Mottai Gopuram and remained as such till the 1980s when a decision was taken to construct a world beating Raja Gopuram at the Southern entrance to the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam that now stands tall at 236 feet.

The other one, the Pundarikakshan temple at Thiruvellarai Divya Desam (http://prtraveller.blogspot.in/2016/10/thiru-vellarai-divya-desam.html) dates back to a period when 3700 Vaishnavite families lived in the town. For reasons, unrecorded, the Raja Gopuram at the Northern entrance remained unfinished.

Periyazhvaar describes Vellarai as a prosperous town

It is Thiruvellarai that Periyazhvaar praised as his first full decad on a temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2015/09/krishna-kaapidal.html). Periyazhvaar describes Thiru Vellarai as a place with lofty mansions that were so high that they seemed to touch the moon.Through this description one can well imaging the prosperity of Thiru Vellarai in the centuries gone by. 

He praises this as a place where Indra, Brahmma, Shiva and other Celestial Lords brought flowers for the Lord from heaven. To this day, as a symbolic gesture of this episode, one can see the sculptures of the Indra, Brahmma and Shiva on the western side of the complex housing the Lord. 

இந்திரனோடு பிரமன் ஈசன் இமையவர் எல்லாம்

மந்திர மா மலர் கொண்டு

மறைந்து உவராய் வந்து நின்றார்

சந்திரன் மாளிகை சேரும் சதுரர்கள் வெள்ளரை நின்றாய்

அந்தியம் போது இது ஆகும்

அழகனே காபிட வாராய் - Periyaazhvaar's Kaapidal

Big Hurdles along with the way

Some ground work had started at Thiru Vellarai in 2016 but the Madras High Court order restraining renovation in temples meant the work came to a grinding halt. The hereditary priests of the temple had told this writer in 2017 that they were all excited that their temple too would get a Raja Gopuram similar to the one at Srirangam but with the objections against the construction of the Raja Gopuram on the Northern side, the steps inside the then battered 2tiered Gopuram was abound with bats and there was disappointment all around. One of the priests had wished then to this writer pointing to the towering Raja Gopuram at Srirangam with the Rock Fort temple in its background that one day Thiruvellarai too would have a towering temple tower that the residents would be proud of.

S Mariappan, JC, Sekar Babu HRCE Minister along with the Coimbatore Donor 

Subsequently, with the High Court directing the appointment of a Panel to decide on the merits of renovation in temples, Thiru Vellarai seemed to get a life line with the Panel issuing an order to strengthen the existing structure at the Northern Entrance based on the technical reports. After the strengthening works of the existing structure, the donors, brothers Veeramani and Jayapal from Coimbatore (Unfortunately Veeramani, one of the brothers passed away) applied to the renovation committee that was satisfied with the strengthen of the base and gave the nod for the construction of the Raja Gopuram.

வென்றி மா மழுவேந்தி முன்மண்மிசை மன்னரை 

மூவேழுகால் கொன்ற தேவ 

நின் குரைகழல் தொழுவதோர் வகை, எனக்கருள் புரியே 

மன்றில் மாம் பொழில் நுழை தந்து, மல்லிகை மௌவலின் போதலர்த்தி 

தென்றல் மா மனம் கமழ் தரவரு, திருவெள்ளறை நின்றானே - Thiru Magai Azhvaar

Minister Sekar Babu directs a fast push

Earlier this year, this section had featured a story on the intention of HRCE Minister  Sekar Babu (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/05/hr-ce-minister-sekar-babu-on-roll.html) to speed up restorations in temples. Two Divya Desams in the Chozha region saw rapid renovation exercises this year and recently consecration took place at Nachiyar Koil and Thiru Kannamangai. 

This week Sekar Babu, who this writer has seen in multiple temples as a sincere and quiet devotee, laid the foundation for the construction of the Raja Gopuram at Thiru Vellarai. Late on Saturday night, he told this writer in a conversation that the construction will go on at a rapid pace. He said that while there will be a lot of strenuous work involved as this is a huge construction, he is determined to see the seven tier Raja Gopuram come up as quickly as possible.

An exclusive Donor from Coimbatore

Sekar Babu confirmed to this writer that Jayapal from Coimbatore will be the exclusive donor for this exercise and that he will take up entire expenses of the Raja Gopuram that is estimated at close to Rs. 8crores.

A priest at the temple told this writer that the Raja Gopuram was likely to come up in two years. He was not sure if the Northern entrance would be shut completely once the work starts in a full fledged way. When the strengthening work of the base of the Gopuram took place, the Northern Entrance had been shut and devotees had to enter the temple through the Eastern Entrance.

Pundarikakshan gives the Green Signal

Varadaraja Acharya, a descendent of Engal Azhvaan and a resident of Thiru Vellarai for several decades had told this writer a few years back that he was nonplussed at the delay as Lord Pundarikakshan will decide what is good for the devotees and that if he willed, the towering Raja Gopuram will come up someday. It looks like the Lord of Thiru Vellarai has finally given the green signal and devotees in all the nearby villages are all excited at the prospect of their temple sporting a towering Raja Gopuram sometime in the near future.

It has been a long time coming at Thiru Vellarai and the approval process has seen several hurdles over the last decade since the plan was first made. With Sekar Babu at the helm, temples in TN are seeing massive renovation exercises and the numbers (of temple renovations) are surging by the day. With the foundation stone laid this week, it looks like finally the new Raja Gopuram at Thiru Vellarai will be on its way. When complete, the 125 feet high Raja Gopuram at Thiru Vellarai will rank amongst the top five tallest towers on the Divya Desam list and thus in a matter of three and a half decades, Mottai Gopurams in two ancient temple towns near Trichy would have seen towering Raja Gopurams!!!

And when the Raja Gopuram at Thiru Vellarai does sport a new look, the hereditary priest would have seen his lifetime wish fulfilled…that of seeing a towering Raja Gopuram similar to the one at Srirangam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/11/venu-srinivasan-srirangam-temple.html).

Hopefully sometime in the near future, Thiru Vellarai will be back to its Golden Days as described by Periyazhvaar and Thiru Mangai Azhvaar.

Sankar KS Kapali Festival Crowd Management

IT Professional turns to Temple Crowd Management Service

51 year old IT professional KS Sankar was at Singaravellar’s Soora Samharam event on North Mada Street on Saturday (Nov 18) evening. Several hundreds of devotees gathered near the temple office to watch the enactment of Kapali Temple’s Singaravellar killing the asura. He anchored the team of crowd management personnel helping the Mylapore Police and the temple authorities at the event keeping the highly devotional and excitable crowd in order. Ropes had been placed on each side of the road to ensure that the devotees don't invade into the path of the asura who made his away on a procession from the East end of the North Mada Street six times in different forms around Singaravellar signifying Lord Muruga's role in Aru Padai Veedu. On Thursday, the Station Vigilance Committee (SVC) team was in Thiruvallikeni for the street procession to mark Manavala Mamuni's Avathara Utsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/11/manavala-mamuni-utsavam-thiruvallikeni.html). The team also is involved in managing the crowd on the Vaikunta Ekadasi day at Thiruvallikeni.

The entire team is active on Saturday evening with Aavin providing several sachets of rose milk for their service while team member Sivakumar runs around to bring in bottles of water for his team. The crowd is not always cooperative as Sivakumar found out with an old man who refused to move away from the processional path and he had to be stern to take him away. But that is what the team's experience has come in handy in recent times with their understanding of the utsavam processes and the peaking of the crowds at important points.

One of the big occasions in the year is the Panguni Utsavam when crowds throng the Kapaleeswarar temple especially on Arubathumoovar and Ther (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/04/kapali-panguni-utsavam-2023.html). The Mylapore Police work in close coordination with the SVC members to manage the crowd through the festival. The team has also helped spotting offenders at these big events and brought them in front of the police. On the occasion of Anna Abhisekam, Sankar found huge jewellery at the Kapali temple well past 10pm and handed it to the Mylapore Police. The devotee was delighted with his service. On a Pradosham evening, he anchored securing back two lost children for the mother who was seen in tears at the corner of the Kapali temple. And when the mother fell full stretch at the feet of Sankar, it left him stunned but also gave him a feel of the big role that the team plays during high crowd events at temples.

A 'Greenery' and Service Orientation at at young age

Right from a young age, Sankar had been initiated into a service mind set by his appa, a batchmate of TN Seshan, who served as a superintendent in the forest department. His appa had played a role in the arrest of Veerappan in the early 1980s.  Sankar saw his appa perform his duty with sincerity and that rubbed off on him. The concept of greenery too had been instilled in him very early on in his life.

He had been visiting the Kapaleeswarar temple as a devotee for several years and joined last decade the State Vigilance Committee team that had been performing service since the 1950s. Its role had diminished over a period of time and the team members had come down to a low number. He found that a formal systematic process had not been developed and he took it upon himself the task of setting up a system that could be used by the next gen.

It is just a few hours prior to the big Thiru Kalyanam event at the Murugan temple in Vadapalani and EO Hariharan, who has taken charge only a few months ago, is keen for Sankar to be present along with his team to manage the crowd on Sunday evening. Just ahead of the event, Sankar told this writer as to how he has become fully involved in temple service in the last few years “The health issues relating to my amma and a wrong diagnosis led me to quit my IT job that I had involved with for two decades. While I donned the role of a consultant, I found that I could spend my free time in performing service to Kapaleeswarar and that is how I became actively involved in crowd management.”

A strong process at SVC

Sankar went about understanding in-depth the whole process of this crowd management process and what it entailed. He recounts his first meeting at the Commissioner’s office “When I met a senior person there who was on the verge of retirement, he asked if the SVC still existed. Over time, the SVC had slowed down and its members had branched out starting their own ones in different locations in the city but the police were happy that the SVC was being making a comeback of sorts. I was determined to make the team stronger with the help of the senior members in the team who had been involved for many years.”

In 2019, he organised a meeting between around 25 SVC members and the Police team at Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan to discuss the revival of the SVC and to set up formal process of engagement between the temple, the police and the SVC. New rules and conditions were laid out for the SVC members including 15 hours of service every month. A formal badge was presented to the members after a minimum of six months of sincere service. 

This is pure service not a power grabbing opportunity

He says that this team is there to perform a voluntary service and that the members cannot use this as a power weapon. But there are the odd ones out there too looking just for popularity and to leverage the power that this service entails as this writer found out in multiple interactions with the SVC members in the last three years. But they are only a small fraction of this strong team that now tops 50members. Sankar is hoping that more sincere voluntary service inclined members will join. The team is also performing night patrol services in the city on Friday and Saturday and has also been managing traffic on the weekends at Marina and Besant Nagar beaches. He is particular delighted with the fact the senior police officials who served in Mylapore have called on him after they have been transferred to other parts of the city  to check if the team could help out the police in those areas. "This is a big endorsement from the police that our team has gained credibility" says Sankar.

Sankar has been maintaining records including photographs and attendance of members at every event where the team has performed its service. This he says also gives an indication of the commitment of the team members. Annual presentation is made to the Police Chief on the service rendered by the team in the year gone by. The shelf at his home is adorned with several certificates and medals presented to him by the city police for his voluntary service.

While Sankar continues to play the role of a trainer in the corporate world, he is often seen at temple festivals managing the crowd. 

Corporate plans may soon take him away back into the business world but Sankar has documented and recorded the entire process and formalized the system in a way that he believes will make it easy for the next in charge to take over. For the moment he rushes off to Vadapalani Temple for the big Sashti culmination event on this Sunday evening.

Kallukuzhi Hanuman Temple

FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s Thatha found the handsome small idol of Hanuman at the Trichy Railway Yard and built the temple just under a 100 years ago 

The Grand Hanuman Jayanthi will be celebrated on January 11 with One Lakh and Eight Jangiris and Vadais

Invoking Hanuman's blessings here has now become a regular exercise with those seeking a job overseas

On January 11, the popular and powerful Hanuman temple in Kallukuzhi at the east end of the Tiruchirappalli Junction will see the Grandest Celebration of the year. For almost the last century, the Hanuman Jayanthi has been celebrated in a big way with a street procession in the evening around the railway colony. On the 26th day of Margazhi, Hanuman will be decorated with one lakh and eight Jangiris and Vadais such has been the support from the devotees. The moolavar deity is seen with the Sanjeevi Hill in his hand and a curved tail that has a small cute bell at its tip.

With the temple undergoing a renovation exercise, there will not be a street procession on the occasion and it will be restricted to a procession inside the temple complex. From the quiet temple with just the Hanuman Sannidhi just under a century ago, this temple has expanded now to multiple sannidhis. In the 1940s, Murugan and Pillayar Sannidhis were added. At the turn of the century, the Pandurangan Sannidhi was built in the location where Hanuman was originally consecrated. In 2007, as part of the previous renovation exercise, Chakkarathazhvaar and Navagriha Sannidhis were built and this led to more devotees visiting the temple. 

The current Thiruppani works will see the entire flooring sparkling with new marble in line with the modern trend. The Gopuram and Vimanams will be painted afresh. The Dhyana Mandapam on the Western side is being rebuilt. Over the last decade or so, the temple has also been offering annadhanam at noon each day of the year in a big hall behind the Hanuman Sannidhi.  The entire renovation exercise is taking  place through support from the devotees. The consecration is slated for the third week of January. 

A battle between HRCE and the Railways

However, there is a battle brewing between the HR & CE and the Railways. A few decades ago, the HR & CE took over the temple in controversial circumstances. This temple is within the land belonging to the Railways and there has been a tug of war between the two. The once popular Railway Quarters east of the temple is in a deserted state now. In the century gone by, this area housed the entire staff of TPJ (Tiruchirappalli Junction). The railways is planning to demolish the quarters and build new complexes. The Hanuman temple is located between the Trichy Railway station and the Railway Colony. The dispute between the Railways and the HRCE is not likely to see an end soon.

FM Nirmala's Thatha found the idol just under a 100 years ago

The consecration of the  Hanuman idol has an interesting  history to it connected with an event in the life of  Narayana Iyer, the grandfather of the current Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman. He lived in Kallukuzhi for several decades and had a soft corner for the deprived in the society. During his life time, he performed the Anatha Pretha Samskara for the orphans in that area.

It was he who  found the idol of Hanuman, built a small temple east of the railway station that has now become highly popular with devotees in Trichy. In a conversation with this writer, the FM recounted the role of her Thatha in the consecration of the idol in the 1920s “My Thatha anchored the construction of the goods yard at the Trichy Railway Station (he also built the yard at Punalur). While his team was digging the earth at the Trichy Junction as part of the yard building exercise, he found this handsome little idol of Hanuman. He sought permission from the Railway officials to install the idol near the station.”

Narayanan Iyer and his family at Kallukuzhi

Back then, Tiruchappalli Railway Station (headquarters) was one of the most developed railway stations in Southern Railway (South Indian Railway) boasting a huge staff strength. After the consecration, the entire employee base began visiting the temple invoking the blessings of Hanuman.

The FM's devotional engagement with Hanuman in the 1970s

After her schooling in Villupuram and Chennai, Nirmala moved to Kallukuzhi in the early 1970s and lived a few hundred yards away from the temple. During that decade, she visited the temple at least twice every week, on Thursday and Saturday evening. She delightfully recalls those glorious days of her  devotional engagement with Hanuman "There were lot of friends my age and we used to go together to the temple and recite Hanuman Slokas. Vadai Malai was a regular feature at the temple and when the priest handed us the Sacred Vadai, we would go back home and give a small piece to each of our family members. It was a great devotional experience and I enjoyed every moment at the temple. Even though it was only a small temple and the idol was a very small one, it was very powerful. My eyes stayed devotionally glued to Hanuman. I particularly remember the priest being very sincere and performing pooja with great devotion. ”

“The ‘Sendhooram’ Prasadam (the special orange coloured ash of Hanuman) was presented to us. We picked it up on our ring finger and sported it that on our forehead. It gave us a very positive feeling.”

The Bhattar’s daughter and Nirmala studied in the same school and college and were close friends for many years.

Hanuman Jayanthi and Mandagapadi

Nirmala also vividly remembers the grand celebrations on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanthi “Till his very end, my Thatha ensured that the mandagapadi on Hanuman Jayanthi went on well. We would all wait for the Lord to arrive on the procession and the entire Kallukuzhi First Street was decorated ahead of His arrival. It was a great moment every year to welcome Hanuman into our homes on his birthday."

She recalls the presence of eminent personalities in Kallukuzhi during the 1970s “Tamil Professor Balasubramanian took great interest in us and taught me Kamba Ramayanam. The agent of Swadesa Mitran also lived in Kallukuzhi. Jayendra Saraswathi’s parents lived in Kallukuzhi and my Thatha interacted with his appa quite closely.”

Happy Memories of Kallukuzhi Hanuman

Into the 1980s, soon after her graduation, Nirmala moved to Chennai and she hasn't been back at the temple since then but the memories of her presence at the temple from those teenage years are still fresh

“There was great devotional vibration when I stood in front of Hanumar.  The celebration  of Hanuman Jayanthi, the Mandagapadi and the devotional experience of hosting Hanuman at our home, presenting the Sacred Vadai to our friends and relatives and the colourful Sendhooram ash left a big positive cultural and social impact in all of us .”

Four Decades Kainkaryam 

56 year old Selvi has been performing kainkaryam at the temple for four decades since the time she was a teenager. Her appa served as a load-man in the railways. She moved to Kallukuzhi from Manaparai afterwards marrying her uncle and has been serving at the Hanuman temple ever since.  She started out when this was a private temple managed by Sriram Naidu, a Railway staff. 

She donned the role of a sweeper and it was thanks to her efforts that the temple always remained clean. Her husband passed away early and it was her devotion to Hanuman that led her to continue her service at the temple and bring up her daughters. After a decade of this kainkaryam as well as ‘Thiru Vilakku’, she took to the role of selling flowers and taking care of the chappals and vehicles in front of the temple. In those early years, she would get Rs. 5 per cycle parked in front of the temple and fifty paise for every pair of slipper left behind by the devotee. She lived in a hut in the far end of the temple complex before renovation and expansion of the temple led to her moving away to a rented home away from the temple complex. 

She recalls the period from those early years “I found great satisfaction in serving Hanuman right from my childhood days when I used to visit Kallukuzhi. Hence despite the financially challenging times, I wanted to dedicate my entire life to this temple. I would go and hand over prasadam to the North Indian devotees in the Bazaar and they presented some money for my devotional service.”

She is hoping to spend the rest of her lifetime in service to Lord Hanuman. Her son too has secured a night watchman job at the temple and she is happy that her next gen too is involved in temple Kainkaryam.

The Devotional Wave - Hanuman who sends devotees Overseas!!!

The devotional wave has hit this temple big time with the crowd increasing manifold in recent decades. From 100 odd devotees in the century gone by, thousands now visit the temple. Interesting, Kallukuzhi Hanuman has come to be positioned as one who answers devotees’ prayers with overseas job opportunities. This belief has led to devotees thronging the temple in large numbers especially on Saturdays. 

Come end of January, the temple will sport a grand new look. A lot has changed in the area around the temple. The temple complex itself bears no resemblance to what it was in the 1970s when this writer too grew up in the colony near the temple. The historical railway colony and the quarters there could soon become a thing of the past. May be before then one day in the near future, the FM too would re-visit Kallukuzhi and have darshan at the temple in its new avatar.

Srirangam Sripatham Chakrapani

From late night factory shifts to now anchoring the front line of the Sripatham at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, Chakrapani has seen a devotional transformation in his life

In addition to managing the huge crowd at the Moolavar Sannidhi during his non processional time, he has just been handed additional charge of the historical South facing Kothandarama Sannidhi near the Manal Veli

Chakrapani, the Sripatham at Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, is delighted with the developments of the last week. He has just been assigned additional charge of the historical Kothandarama Sannidhi, where one also finds Kulasekara Azhvaar, who sung thirty verses of praise on the people of Srirangam surrendering himself to the Lord of Srirangam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/03/kulasekara-azhvaar-srirangam-ranganatha.html).

A Financial Struggle in his childhood

From the time, he struggled working late night shifts at manufacturing firms in Trichy two decades ago and lost his health to now spending all his time with Namperumal, it has been a transformation that he simply did not foresee. And that he says is all God's play.

Just over a dozen ago, Chakrapani, a longtime resident of West Adayavalanjan street near Veli Andal Sannidhi https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2011/08/aadi28-festival-in-srirangam.html), faced severe financial challenges. His appa Anantharaman had been a school teacher for three decades in Kambarasampettai but the family was short on finance. 

Chakrapani secured a diploma at the ITI and joined the manufacturing sector soon. But constant late night shifts in manufacturing firms in Trichy for many years was taking a toll on his body. He could not no longer do the fifteen kilometer rides on the two wheeler from Srirangam, and returning well past 1am every night of the year was proving a tedious exercise. Even as he was pondering over his future, an unexpected devotional opportunity came his way. 

The Devotional Shift

The Srinivasa Perumal temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2013/07/srinivasa-perumal-temple-srirangam.html) South of the toweing Raja Gopuram was looking for a cook for its madapalli and Chakrapani grabbed that opportunity with both hands. He quit his manufacturing job, quickly learned the art of sacred cooking from his uncle in Bangalore who was into catering and moved into temple service. He slogged for a couple of years and made the madapalli a popular one among the devotees of the temple.

Just under a decade ago, the Ranganathaswamy temple was looking to strengthen its Sripatham team and Chakrapani applied for the post. In his younger days, he had been part of the Vethal team and performed the Sripatham service in Srirangam as well as in Thiruvallikeni and Thirupathi among other Perumal temples in Tamil Nadu including the popular Srinivasa Perumal temple in Papanayakan Palayam in Coimbatore during the Brahmotsavam. Carrying the Lord on his shoulder was something that he had always had devotional interest in and it was one of the biggest moments of his life when he received the appointment as a Sripatham at the Ranganathaswamy temple.

It is just past five am on the seventh day of the Oonjal utsavam at the Ranganathaswamy temple. The elephant carries the sacred water from the Cauvery on the Golden Pot in this Tula month. Walking alongside the elephant from the Amma Mandapam, Chakrapani told this writer as to how a devotional fervour has taken over him in recent years “I consider it a great blessing to have the opportunity to carry Namperumal on my shoulder from the sanctum. It had been a financial struggle for several years and we were living in a house with a thatched roof. I would start cooking at 3am at the madapalli at the Srinivasa Perumal temple and the devotees took to a special liking for the prasadam in that temple. I was motivated by that and slogged even harder to make them enjoy the prasadam.”

“The two years at the Srinivasa Perumal temple led to a financial revival for my family and I was able to renovate my old house.”

Chakrapani has been the front anchor of the Sripatham team since the time he joined. It is a role that he has thoroughly enjoyed “When I was at the factory working late nights, I never visualized that I would carry Namperumal and Ranganayaki Thayar at every procession in the year. It is easily the greatest blessing I have had in life.”

When not on processions, he is the chosen one by the HRCE to manage the crowd at the Moolavar Sannidhi between six am and noon. 

An assignment to manage the Kothandarama Sannidhi

Last week, much to his surprise he was asked by the HRCE to take additional charge of the Kothandarama Sannidhi near the Chandra Pushkarani “When I was appointed as a Sripatham, I considered it a great blessing. And this one now to be given the responsibility to manage this South facing Sannidhi (providing darshan to Vibheeshana in Lanka) is beyond my wildest dreams. It is a big honour to take care of the devotees and ensure that they find peace in the Sannidhi.”

It is also the same motto with which he serves when he manages the crowd at the Moolavar Sannidhi. While most devotees these days get only a few seconds in front of the Ranganathaswamy in Sayana Kolam, Chakrapani is keen to ensure that they find their moment of happiness in those few seconds so they go back satisfied after the darshan. Not once in the last few years has he uttered a harsh word on the devotees at the Moolavar Sannidhi.

அந்தமிழினின்பப் பாவினை அவ்வடமொழியைப் பற்றற்றார்கள்

பயிலரங்கத் தரவணையில் பள்ளிகொள்ளும்

கோவினை நாவுர வழுத்தி எந்தன் கைகள்

கொய்ம்மலர்தூய் என்று கொலோ கூப்பும் நாளே .... Kulasekara Azhvaar

After he took charge of the Kothandaramar Sannidhi last week, a Thirumanjanam has already been performed for Moolavar deities. He is hoping to make it a more vibrant Sannidhi given that Kulasekara Azhvaar who quit his kingdom and surrendered to Lord Ranganatha is also housed there (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/03/kulasekara-azhvaar-srirangam-residents.html). 

From a very young age, Chakrapani had great faith in Ranganathaswamy and Ranganayaki Thayar and he always believed that there will be a turnaround in fortunes. While the financial scenario at home led him into working at the manufacturing plants, the devotional call came his way a decade ago. And since then there has been no looking back with him spending almost his entire time at the Ranganathaswamy temple. While he thus performed his service with unwavering devotion and commitment, his wife who manages the finances at home, he was delighted to hear from his wife that they were now completely away from debt, a scenario that they had previously been locked in for many years. His daughter is soon to complete her Engineering at the Sastra University and he believes that she will be able to find her way into the corporate world. And when that happens, it would have been a big relief for him as he had to encounter financial poverty during his childhood years.

Chakrapani dedicates this devotional turnaround entirely to the Divine Couple. He says he thanks them every single day of the year for this unexpected service opportunity that has been handed to him at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam and hopes that God will bless him with this service till the very end for that is where he has found the greatest happiness in his life.