Thiru Vellarai Pundarikakshan Panguni Garuda Sevai

12 hours after returning from a trip to Srirangam, Pundarikakshan provides Garuda Sevai darshan to several hundreds of devotees on Saturday evening

CA Professional Sivakumar delights devotees with a 2 hour Namasankeerthanam

This section had featured a story last year on Thiru Vellarai Divya Desam Pundarikaksha Perumal’s night long trip to Kollidam as part of the Panguni Brahmotsavam(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/03/thiru-vellarai-pundarikaksha-perumal.html). This story is about Pundarikakshan providing darshan atop the Garuda Vahana around the four streets just over 12 hours after he returned from the Srirangam trip.

3700 Vaishnavite families once lived here

This is a historical divya desam  where 3700 Vaishnavite families once lived. Thiru Vellarai is the birth place of two acharyas – Uyya Kondan and Engal Azhvaan. It was from here that Vedic Pundits and Bhattars went to other Divya Desams and Purana Sthalams, such was the greatness of the scholars of this historical place. 'Kainkaryam' personnel consistently walked over 15 kms from Srirangam across the Coloroon to perform service at Thiru Vellarai Divya Desam. 

Things had turned for the worse in the second half of the previous century when traditional inhabitants left the temple town seeking greener pastures elsewhere. Till about 2010, priests would sit at the entrance of the sannidhis waiting for the next set of devotees to arrive but that wait proved elusive for most part.

But there has been a dramatic turnaround over the last decade. The daily devotee crowd has increased manifold at this historical divya desam praised by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Periyazhvaar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2015/09/krishna-kaapidal.html).

இந்திரனோடு பிரமன்

 ஈசன் இமையவர் எல்லாம்

மந்திர மா மலர் கொண்டு

மறைந்து உவராய் வந்து நின்றார்

சந்திரன் மாளிகை சேரும்

சதுரர்கள் வெள்ளறை நின்றார்

காந்தியம் பொது இது ஆகும்

 அழகனே காப்பிட  வாராய் - Periyazhvaar

Once in a year Kannadi Arai Sevai

On Saturday morning just after 5am, the Vethal volunteers of the Srirangam Sripatham group carried Pundarikakshan back to his abode at Thiru Vellarai after a night long return trip from Kollidam. Shortly after, Pundarikaksha Perumal provided Kannadi Arai Sevai along with Shenbagavalli Thayar. The fourth day of the Panguni Brahmotsavam is one of the only two days in the year when he provides darshan at the Kannadi Arai. Through the day, there was a steady flow of devotees including from the North and Karnataka. They were delighted to have arrived at the temple on the day when the divine couple provided Kannadi Arai Sevai. Soon after, a devotee family from Singapore for whom this was the Kulam Deivam temple presented a large bundle of Rs.500 rupee notes in the thattu, something that would have been unthinkable in the not so distant past. It was yet another sign of how remote temples are now flourishing.

From Kannadi Arai to Northern Mottai Gopuram

It was well past 5pm when Pundarikakshan and Shenbagavalli Thaayar made their way down the steps through the North gate to reach the Mottai Gopuram, who Raja Gopuram construction (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/11/thiru-vellarai-new-raja-gopuram-by-end.html) will start in full swing from the Tamil New Year day (April 14). There is still no indication of this being a Garuda Sevai evening with very few devotees making it for this procession from Kannadi Arai to the entrance of the Northern Gopuram. Hereditary Priest Vinodh Bhattar had to hurriedly put together Sripatham personnel for this procession.

What one saw over the next couple of hours was quite unbelievable. By 6.30pm, the crowd had swelled to a few hundreds and half hour later, there was no place to stand at the North Sannidhi street in Thiru Vellarai for devotees from all the surrounding villages had gathered in for the start of the Garuda Sevai.

.......மன்றில் மாம் பொழில் நுழைதந்து

மல்லிகை மௌவளின் போது அலர்த்தி

தென்றல் மா மணம் கமழ் தர வரு

 திரு வெள்ளறை நின்றானே

..........உயர்கொள் மாதவிப் போதொடு உலாவிய 

மாருதம் வீதியின்வாய்

திசை எல்லாம் கமழும் பொழில் சூழ் 

திரு வெள்ளறை நின்றானே- Thiru Mangai Azhvaar

A Devotional Namasankeerthanam sets the tone for the big evening

For the first time, Vinodh Bhattar had organised for a Namasankeerthanam presentation ahead of the Garuda Sevai processions. CA professional Sivakumar, a resident of Adyar, Chennai, had come all the way on Saturday evening to Thiru Vellarai with his troupe members to participate in the Garuda Sevai celebrations. Seated in the open space next to the Ramanuja Sannidhi, Sivakumar and his team delighted the several hundred devotees with a two hour devotional presentation that had several Bhajanai kids dancing to the Namasankeerthanam. Beginning with praise of Ramanuja, Andal and Rama, the Namasankeerathanam moved on to presentations on the greatness of Krishna and Vittal. 

A bhajanai too had been organised on this evening and those kids numbering around 25 danced rapturously to the songs on Vittal even as the devotional buzz on the Northstreet reached a peak at around 8pm. With every passing song, the noise grew louder and the participation from the kids expanded. The Namasankeerthanam and the dancing to their tunes by these young kids took one back to historical times when remote temple towns was abound with such presentations during the annual festivals.

By now, the Sripatham had arrived in large numbers from Srirangam. Vinodh Bhattar spent an hour decorating Pundarikaksha Perumal with Garuda draped in a white silk vastram. It was almost 8.30pm when the screen opened to a devotional roar as Pundarikakshan came out majestically on to the North Sannidhi street even as the Prabhandham members began their presentation of the Naangaam Thiruvanthathi. Devotees stood on the terraces of their homes and at the Ramanuja Sannidhi for a first glimpse of Garuda Sevai.

The Sripatham members did a commendable job to carry the Lord swiftly through a highly crowded street. The procession lasted almost an hour with devotees in good numbers walking along with Pundarikakshan back to the North Gopuram. It was past 10pm when Pundarikakshan made his way back to his abode via the North Gopuram after a devotional evening that saw crowd throng in large numbers at the Thiru Vellarai Divya Desam.

Tail Piece

There was a sour point though right at the end that does not augur well for the Vaishnavite and the archaka community. The devotee donor of the evening was liberally dishing out Sambhavanai to the service personnel when Thottiyam Kannan Bhattar, a priest at Thiru Vellarai, raised some objections that turned into a heated debate for 15 minutes. It was an unsavoury episode that could have been easily avoided. The tone and manner of his conversation led the devotee donor to ask if this was the way a Vaishnava Archaka should conduct himself. All the other archakas of Thiru Vellarai as well as the Kainkaryapakas watched in silence from 100 yards away as the argument turned ugly. Repeatedly, the devotee donor and his team members made the point that they would give him what he wants but Kannan Bhattar could not be quietened as he continued to talk in high pitch much to the devotees’ disappointment. A highly devotional evening and the quality of the alankaram and the procession had been undone in a matter of 15 minutes as the devotee donor left the temple with a tinge of sadness at this conduct of the Vaishnavite archaka.

On a more positive note, after a gap of four decades, Pundarikakshan made his way last year on the Sesha Vahana on the fifth day of the Brahmotsavam to a historical mandapam a km North that had been in a dilapidated condition for long. A huge nandavanam is coming up around the mandapam, which still requires repairs and restoration. Hope the mandapam will be restored fully by the time Pundarikakshan makes his way next year in Panguni to this location.

Srirangam Aravindan Bhattar IT Director

Financial Challenges and missing hereditary rights led him into the IT Sector where he has now become a Director, but the ever smiling Aravindan Bhattar is back to his devotional best at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam where for the second year in a row he has anchored the Panguni Brahmotsavam with Raksha Bandhanam responsibilities

This section has featured stories in the past as to how the 1970s and 80s saw an exodus of service personnel from TN temples given the challenges that had begun to crop up in the 1960s that continued into the succeeding decades (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/04/temples-lockdown-1960s-70s.html). The Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam that now sees a devotee crowd of 50000 and more on utsavam days was no different back then. Outstation devotees were few and Thattu Kaasu was minimal for the priests. Many of them faced financial challenges and the next generation focused on academics given the uncertain future in the temple space.

45 year old N Aravindan Bhattar is just back in Madras after a dozen days in Srirangam having anchored the Panguni Brahmotsavam as the Raksha Bandanam Bhattar. In a couple of days, on Monday (April 1), he will join as the Engineering Director in a global IT firm having just let go a coveted position at a Top Tier 1 IT company headquartered in Bangalore. Through the entire Panguni Utsavam, he wore a large smile and was complimented by everyone for finishing the Thirumanjanam on the Panguni Uthiram night before 5am, an unprecedented occurrence in recent decades.

Tough times in the 1980s/90s

But his life has not been all smiles, for his parents went through treacherous few decades. Though his forefathers had been hereditary priests for several centuries at the temple with an annual service of 180days in multiple sannidhis, family circumstances and internal family decisions led his appa, the revered VS Narasimha Bhattar, to not having an ‘official’ murai at the temple in the phase when Aravindan Bhattar was a young boy. Given the financial challenges in the family (there was not enough money to even pay his school and college fees), his amma, Ranjani, asked him to focus on academics and he came out on top in Class X with over 80%. Despite not having the official Murai at the temple, Aravinda Bhattar was closely attached to the Divine Couple and would not miss a single purapadu as he walked along with the Lord during the street processions. Every day, he would stand in the queue and have darshan in the perumal sannidhi, hoping for things to turn around.

He says in that challenging phase, Nandhu Bhattar, who holds over 200days service rights, offered his appa a Kainkaryam role whenever possible and thus his appa was able to perform service at the sannidhis.

His amma's probing question and the turning point - 1994

His amma was his biggest guiding force in life and gave him the much needed confidence and belief that one day this family would get back their Kainkaryam.   He recounts his amma's role in a move that turned out to be the turning point in his life “The year was 1994 and I was not yet 15. We (boys my age) were playing street cricket in Mela Uthira Veethi when my amma went to SKR Bhattar and posed a polite question as to when all these boys would start performing Kainkaryam. That was a big turning point as that question led SKR Bhattar to begin an initiation process into temple agamas.”

He credits SKR Bhattar for the systematic way in initiating the temple krama in the young boys “Being a school teacher, dealing with young boys came naturally to him. He began with slokas and then created a Q & A format where he would pose challenging questions and see how the young boys faced up to it. He would then provide the answers that registered forever in our minds. During that period of 4-5 years in the late 1990s, he also taught us Thiru Aradhana Krama and Samprokshanam event management lessons. In the summer vacation, we were with him all through the entire two months learning vigorously under his tutelage.”

Thatha's significant contribution

His grand father V Srinivasa Bhattar was an agama expert and Aravindan Bhattar learned a lot under him as well. He also learned Agni Kaaryam exclusively and in great detail from his Thatha. In 1996, his thatha directed him to perform the Sannidhi Paricharaka Kainkaryam so he could watch the pooja krama from close quarters “My Thatha liked me a lot and I spent a lot of time with him during the first two decades of my life. He would challenge me with questions after SKR Bhattar’s classes and stump me most of the time as I fumbled for answers. On most occasions, I had to go back to SKR Bhattar for more insights. On his part, SKR Bhattar took it as a challenge and expanded the syllabus to include the parts raised by my thatha so it benefitted all the students.”

After the formal learning from SKR Bhattar, he learned one year exclusively one on one under  SKR Bhattar as well as his appa who also taught the agamas and pooja kramas in that phase to all the Bhattars including Sundar Bhattar.

At the turn of the century, Aravindan Bhattar had becoming extremely confident in the Pancharatra Agama and the temple pooja krama. In 2002, he had Deekshai from his Thatha that made him eligible to enter the Sanctum and perform Thiru Aradhana inside the Sannidhi. He was involved in the Samprokshanam that year playing a supporting role to the Chief Bhattars.

Into the Corporate World

By this time, he had completed his Masters Degree in IT at the St Josephs College. He wanted to live a life around the temple as right from his childhood he had developed a quiet bonding with the divine couple and searched for jobs in the Trichy area but could not find a good one. The family had lived a hand to mouth existence during his school and college days and having completed a Masters degree, his amma directed him to reach out elsewhere for a job.  Till  that time, even though they had lived all their lives in Srirangam, the family did not even have a house of their own.

Staying in his Chithappa’s house in Villivakkam, he widened his job search and found one for Rs. 5000 just under two decades ago in Madras. He was always interested in IT and helped out the final year students at St. Josephs with their projects. In 2006, he secured a big break in his corporate career when Global IT firm Covansys (earlier CBSI and later CSC) – a company whose PR this writer handled – offered him a job that almost doubled his then salary. 

Through this phase, he would come every weekend to Srirangam to perform small Kainkaryam but without an official archaka murai.

Secures back the hereditary rights 

His amma always wondered as to why they did not get the Murai that they had been entitled to (the reason had been an internal family decision). She would meet the temple authorities every now and then and ask them probing questions. Between 2011 and 15, this gained in intensity and finally the temple handed his appa the archaka Murai orders that had been absent all through his life till then “It was a momentous achievement. It looked like she extended her life only to ensure that her family secured their rightful dues. She had fought for long for these rights and instilled in me the confidence to fight for our rights. When my appa went to the hospital to show her the order letter which provided for a 90 day Murai (split equally among the three brothers) annually, she had one look at it and I could see the delight in her eyes. She felt her duty had been done in this life and passed away in that happiness.”

Having lived in great financial difficulty for a large part of her life, his amma was also happy that her son had secured a stable job at a top IT firm for by this time he had moved to Cognizant. Within six months after her passing away, he joined as a Project Manager at Infosys, something he says his amma would have been delighted to hear.

That year, he was actively involved with the Samprokshanam anchoring the Thayaar Kundam and later in 2019, he performed a similar role at the Uraiyur Kamalavalli Nachiyar temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/09/uraiyur-kamalavalli-nachiyar.html).

The Coveted Raksha Bandhanam responsibility

Aravindan Bhattar recounts as to how his appa was stickler for tradition and the temple processes “I had to first anchor the big utsavam at Uraiyur and then utsavams such as Vasantha Utsavam, Poochatru at the Ranganathaswamy temple before I could be handed the Raksha Bandhanam responsibilities for the Brahmotsavams. After completing all these, I went to my appa and asked him if he would permit me at least now. He directed me to KSB to take guidance from him for the Pavitrotsavam. It was a challenging 10 days and KSB was with me through the utsavam. It went well and as a positive sign, it rained during the utsavam.”

In 2022, he joined Wipro as a delivery head. In the last fortnight, on the first day of the Panguni Brahmotsavam soon after he tied the Raksha Bandhanam, he received the appointment order as an Engineering Director from Agilisium Consulting, a Datamatics firm. He says that Ranganatha and Ranganayaki Thayar have been with him right through his life “Every time, I have faced a big challenge, the divine couple have saved me and provided me the right opportunities.”

People have now recognised his agamic knowledge and the devotional way he performs Thirumanjanam and offers are flowing in. In recent years, there have many offers to anchor Samprokshanam events in temples across TN. He has just received invitation to participate in the mandalabhisekam event at Naimisaranyam and the 100th year celebratory event at the Vedantha Desikar Srinivasa Perumal temple in Mylapore (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/01/vedantha-desikar-srinivasa-perumal.html). 

Refuses lucrative overseas opportunities

In the last many years, he has refused close to 15 overseas corporate opportunities, each of which would have been turned out financially lucrative so as to continue his service at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam. Like Harish Bhattar(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/03/srirangam-panguni-uthiram-2024.html), he takes his time during the Thirumanjanam and with his strength in agama, performs the sacred bath in the way it should be. 

Big Devotional Strength behind the innocent smile

While he sports a big innocent smile most of the time and is quiet to himself much like his appa Narasimha Bhattar, he has no qualms in taking on anyone who interfere unreasonably in his Kainkaryam. 

From taking to the corporate world in the just over two decades ago in financially turbulent times, Aravinda Bhattar is now in a delightful space having secured the hereditary rights that had been missing for a few decades during his appa’s youth. He is already initiating his sons, Anirudhan and Aprameyan, into the Vedas and the Agamas and is keen for the next gen to continue the hereditary service that his amma had fought for so long. He himself along with Harish Bhattar, Sriram and Sridhar Bhattar is getting deep into Agama research. 

This last fortnight has been a particularly enjoyable period for him. The Thirumanjanam on the Panguni Uthiram night has been widely appreciated for the quality of its conduct and that has given him a lot of happiness and self-satisfaction. The Rakshana Bandhanam role is something that he respects as a big responsibility. Through this entire utsavam, he was always ahead of time to ensure that he performs his role to the best of his abilities and enabling the succeeding events to proceed smoothly. On the corporate front, he has just bagged a coveted directorial role in an IT firm. From a hand to mouth existence in the 1970s and 80s, he has managed to turn around the financial fortunes of the family as well as secure back the hereditary rights. After the passing away of his uncle (whose son is away from India), Aravindan Bhattar and his appa have now got 45days service annually in addition to another 30 days provided by the temple. He is now upbeat that he will be able to perform round the year kainkaryam with the 75days service and become even more devotionally attached in his service to the Divine Couple. 

Srirangam Prabhandham Adyapaka leader Sampath Ramanujam

Dedicating his life to the Sacred Prabhandham Verses

After the passing away of long standing leader Kidambi Bashyam Iyengar, 'Kapisthalam' Sampath Ramanujam has taken over as the Saadhu Sri Vaishnava of the Prabhandham Ghoshti at the Ranganatha Swamy temple in Srirangam and is keen to create the next generation of Prabhandham Scholars

Till about half a century ago, Divya Desams in Tamil Nadu were reverberating with Prabhandham recitals all through the year. But in recent decades, with traditional Vaishnavites moving away from their ancestral locations to larger cities in search of jobs, the strength of the Prabhandham members has come down drastically in remote temples. At the Parthasarathy temple in Thiruvallikeni, MA Venkatakrishnan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/05/ma-venkatakrishnan-thiruvallikeni-divya_16.html) has been anchoring a strong team, while a long standing battle between Vadakalais and Thengalais has led to a temporary halt to the recital at the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kanchipuram(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/01/pazhaya-seevaram-battle-for-vaishnavite.html). Srirangam is the one other Divya Desam where Prabhandham recital has remained non controversial and is still vibrant with a good number of Kainkaryapakas continuing the presentation of the sacred verses of the Azhvaars both daily as well as during the big utsavam processions.

A new leader takes over after several decades

56year old Sampath Ramanujam, a descendant of Thirumalai Ananthan Pillai, has been part of the Prabhandham Ghoshti at the Srirangam temple for the last four decades from the time he was in his mid teens. In 2022, he took over as the 'Saadhu Sri Vaishnava', the leader of the strong Prabhandham team and is hoping to inspire the next gen to take to the sacred verses as part of their lives. His forefathers moved to Srirangam from Kapisthalam Gajendra Varadar Divya Desam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/07/kapisthalam-seshadri-bhattar.html) about 150 years ago and five generations of this family have been presenting the sacred verses at the Ranganathaswamy temple.  

A student of Srirangam Boys School, Sampath Ramanujam began learning Prabhandham from the time he was seven years old from Srirangam Narayana Jeer. He has been sporting a tuft right from his childhood and restrained from eating outside. Shortly after presenting the Periya Thirumozhi verses around the eight streets on Monday (March 25) morning ahead of the Panguni Uthiram celebrations, he told this writer as to how his amma Mangammal, now 91 years old (she has performed Kolam Kainkaryam for over five decades), kindled his interest in Prabhandham at an early age that has stayed with him over the last five decades "My amma had learned the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham and the Granthas and she was my first inspiration. She motivated me to learn the sacred verses and every evening after I returned from school, she would  encourage me to go to the class.”

Guided by Seniors

By the time he was into his mid teens in the early 1980s he had learned the entire Nalayira Divya Prabhandham. For a dozen years, he was to be in the back row of the ghoshti. He says that the seniors in the team kept a close watch on his presentation and guided him in the learning process “Adyapaka Kidambi Bashyam Iyengar was instrumental in initiating me into leadership. He watched me closely and guided me on the unique presentation style that continues to this day in Srirangam. It was he who taught me the important aspects of leading the Prabhandham group.”

He counts Narayanan Iyengar and Kutti Swami as having inspired him in the Prabhandham recital in the early phase, in addition to Kidambi Bashyam Iyengar.

Propagating Vishnu Bhakthi

His forefathers took it upon themselves to propagate Vaishnavism among Bhagavathas in villages. His appa TAK Krishnamachariar was the principal of the Blind School in Poonamallee. “He was a Sastra Vidwan and presented Upanyasams in villages to take Vishnu Bhakthi to the common man” says Sampath Ramanujam.

Presents Prabhandham in Thirumalai

In line with the trend of the time, Sampath Ramanujam worked as a medical representative while he continued to be part of the Prabhandham team at Srirangam. He says he was blessed to have performed Kainkaryam at Thirumalai reciting the sacred verses there.

Special Features in Srirangam - Arulicheyya as against Saathitharulaa

During the Azhvaar and Acharya annual utsavams, the prabhandham members recite the entire 4000 verses. He says that a special feature of these utsavams is that they start the recital with ‘Arulicheyya’ as against the usual ‘Saathitharulaa’ “The start of the recital with Arulicheyya is a unique feature during the Azhvaar/Acharya utsavams not seen in any other Divya Desam.”

Yet another special feature of the Prabhandham Ghosti in Srirangam is the Vahana Mandapam Kaappu “Even after Namperumal is back from the street procession and goes into the Vahana Mandapam, we continue our recital. This is very unique to this Divya Desam.”

The mettu also turns different when they recite the Iyarpa verses, especially Thiruvirutham and Ramanuja Nootranthathi, a tone and flow not experienced in any other Divya Desam.

Over 1200 Prabhandham presentations annually

The Prabhandham members at Srirangam recite the sacred verses over 1200 times every year. For this service, the Ranganathaswamy temple pays the Prabhandham Ghoshti less than Rs. 900 annually but Adyapaka Sampath Ramanujam says that they are not in this for financial returns “We have a strong 20-25 member team. There are professional well qualified auditors in the Ghoshti who have chosen to stay back in Srirangam to make the prabhandham recital an integral part of their everyday life and that is a very positive development.”

Dreams of creating the next gen of Prabhandham Scholars

Saadhu Sri Vaishnava Sampath Ramanujam is hopeful of continuing the Prabhandham recital through his entire lifetime at the Ranganathaswamy temple. He is now initiating his teenaged son into a traditional way of life teaching him the Vaishnavite Sampradaya including Thiru Aradhana Krama and Stotras. His sister too is well versed in the sacred verses. While his family members continue to perform daily Thiru Aradhanam at the Ananthan Pillai Thirumaligai on North Chitra street, Sampath Ramanujam is keen to rope in as many youngsters as possible into the Prabhandham Ghoshti so as to further strengthen the team and get the next gen to take this sacred service forward in the future. Recently, he went from home to home around the eight streets trying to convince parents to get their children initiated into the sacred verses of the Vaishnavite Saint Poets “There is a bit of inhibition currently as parents are too focused on academics but I am confident that the next generation in Srirangam will take to learning the Prabhandham verses and continue this historic tradition in the future” signs off Saadhu Sri Vaishnava Sampath Ramanujam on a positive note. 

Namperumal Panguni Ellaikarai Procession

A trip to measure the Eastern Boundary of the Srirangam Temple

This section had in 2018 featured a story on Namperumal’s long 15km trip, westwards, to Jeeyapuram as part of the Panguni Brahmotsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/03/srirangam-namperumal-jeeyapuram-utsavam.html). This story is about a five hour trip to the Ellaikarai Mandapam and his march towards the Eastern boundary of Srirangam on the 8th day of the Brahmotsavam.

It is 6.30am on Sunday (March 24) and the Sripatham are there in good numbers for this long and complex procession. The temple authorities have taken a decision not to allow any devotees inside the ariya bhattal vaasal given the length of the pallakku and the challenges relating to manoeuvring it inside the Naazhikettan Vaasal. Hundreds have lined up in front of the Garuda Sannidhi to have a first glimpse of Namperumal on this 8th day procession.

In the decades gone by, there were not too many mandagapadis on this procession but things have changed dramatically at temple utsavams in TN and devotees have been queuing up to associate themselves in some way during the large utsavams.

Restoration of Theerthams in Srirangam by a Bhagavatha

As seen in the Maasi Garuda Sevai procession last month (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/02/srirangam-namperumal-maasi-garuda-sevai.html), the mandagapadis have increased manifold on this procession too from single digit a couple of decades ago to well over 30 on this Sunday morning Ellaikarai procession. 

Bhagavatha Jagadish, a manager at Axis Bank, has quietly restored many temple tanks in Srirangam over the last few years. One such is Ashwattha Theertham opposite the popular Devi Talkies. This had been in a dilapidated condition not so long ago but now wears a fresh look thanks to his tireless efforts. But there is no water though inside the tank for the moment and the priests take the steps down the tank to perform the sacred pooja at the well in the middle of the tank.

A long detour- Ashwattha Theertham to Andavan College

The next big stop for Namperumal is the Andavan college and it would have taken only a few minutes for the Lord to reach there from the Ashwa Theertham. But it has been a tradition for him not to go over the flyover or an underpass. Hence the Sripatham have to take a long detour as they head back one km North towards the Srirangam Govt Boys school and then to Singar Koil crossing the railway line at the Srirangam station. Past Singar Koil, they reach the Andavan college where there is a large number of devotees waiting to receive Namperumal. A large part of the college has been funded by the TVS Group with the blocks inside the campus named after TS Santhanam and TS Krishna.

Namperumal heads back South again and to the other side of the flyover for a mandagapadi at Srinivasa Nagar near the sacred tank of Thiruvanaikaval temple.

It is past 10am and its scorching hot. The temple authorities have been thoughtful enough to organise two water tankers to sprinkle water on the Grand Southern Trunk road to help the Sripatham personnel. 

Octogenarian Araiyar's devotional trip

83 year old Araiyar Varadarajan has been alongside Namperumal all through the morning. He is devotionally excited as he recounts his blessed feeling to this writer on being part of this journey for so many decades. He is in happy tears as he rolls out the sacred verses of the Vaishnavite Saint Poets and their praise of Lord Ranganatha and tells this writer in an hour long chat along the GST road as to how each one of us on this Sunday morning procession should feel elated. "There have been so many changes in the last several decades but the tradition of this long procession of Namperumal continues", he says even as his son, working in a MNC firm, joins him on the procession.

"My appa initiated me into this Kainkaryam even as a school boy and his message was always for me to be devoted at the feet of Namperumal and that has stood with me all through my life. There may be any number of changes happening around us but our faith in and devotion to Lord Ranganatha should never waver and we should remain steadfast in our service to him till our final breath" he tells this writer on why he is on this five hour trip on this hot Sunday.

After a few more mandagapadis on this historical road, Namperumal makes his way for his second theerthavari, this time at the Ramar temple near the check post, half a km north of Jambukeswarar temple.

In a kind gesture, the donor devotees at this location have organised coconut water for all the Sripatham personnel for whom it has already been close to a four hour trip on this hot summer’s day.

Unfortunately, the Ramar temple is currently in a dilapidated state and the idol had been shifted to the Srirangam temple decades ago.

Reaches the Eastern Boundary after five hours

It is 11.30am and five hours after his departure, Namperumal has finally reached his destination for the day measuring the Eastern boundary of the Srirangam temple. Ellaikarai Mandapam is just a couple of yards off the Trichy-Madras bye pass road on the southern banks of Kollidam. 

Markings of the boundaries

There were stone carvings endorsing the boundaries of the Srirangam temple as well as the Thiruvanaikaval temple. In times gone by, there used to be a Soolam to mark the boundary of Jambukeswarar temple and a Chakkram marking the boundary of Ranganatha temple. A lot of important historical records have gone missing – those that have stood testimony for this trip of Namperumal and the significance of the Ellaikarai Mandapam.

74 year old ST Subramaniam (STS) Pandithar, the decades long hereditary priest at the Thiruvanaikaval temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/06/thiruvanaikaval-jambukeswarar-temple.html), arrives at the Ellaikarai mandapam for a darshan of Namperumal. He proudly claims to this writer that his Lord arrives here a couple of months earlier for celebration of the Thai Poosam utsavam. 

His son, now past 30, works in the accounts section at India Cements in Madras but as has been the trend in recent times has not been able to find a bride for him. He told this writer that they are open to an Iyengar girl too and hoped on this Sunday evening that Namperumal would answer his prayers and soon help find a life partner for his son.

Golden Horse Vahana Procession through Kollidam

Devotees had had darshan of Namperumal through the afternoon at this mandapam located amidst the greenery of large coconut groves and now it was time for the Golden Horse Vahana procession. The sun is still beating down strongly from the west when Namperumal mounted on the Horse Vahana is ready to begin the return procession at 6pm. Hundreds of devotees have lined up the entire stretch of leading to the check post on GST road. As is the norm these days, devotees double up as photographers and videographers taking continuous shots of the Lord as they instantly shoot of the pictures and videos to their group members. 

Vande Bharat slows down for Namperumal

On to the Kollidam road, the railway and the temple authorities have been working through the second half of the day to make a special path for Namperumal over the railway line (there is an underpass near Yatri Nivas but the Lord would not take that). Even the superfast Vande Bharat Express slows down as passengers from the train have a quick darshan on Namperumal as he makes his way towards the railway line.

By now, the thee panthams have lit up and Namperumal crosses the railway line after the departure of the Vriddachalam DMU. 

The sun has set and Namperumal continues his return procession led by the ghee lit torches. There is the Alavanthar Thiruvarasu ahead and it has been a tradition for Namperumal to not make his way near a certain distance of burial grounds. And thus he goes north to the Kollidam banks and enters the dry river. It turns out to be a strenuous half hour for the Sripatham personnel as they make their way through the thick sand filled Kollidam. Another reason stated for this passage through the Kollidam is for him to search the lost ring that was likely to stand him in good stead in his debate with Thayar the next morning.

The moon, a day ahead of Pournami, is just up in the East and makes for a great photo shot of the Sripatham carrying Namperumal. The Sripatham members cheer up each other motivating themselves along this hard stretch to keep the momentum going. 

It is well past 7pm when they make their way to the North Chitrai street where the prabhandham members begin their recital of the Periya Thirumozhi verses. Shortly after, there is a big cheer on the East Chitrai street for it is time for the much awaited Voyali presentation by the Sripatham. It is the big moment of the day for a large section of the devotees. Just past the Go Ratham, the Sripatham thrill the several hundred devotees present on the occasion with a 15 minute presentation of fast paced voyali going back and forth and sideways much to their delight. 

Interestingly, a majority of the devotees disperse after the Voyali while a few remain for the final part of the procession. 

Back to his abode after a 15 hour trip

It is past 9pm when Namperumal finally entered the Gayathri mandapam bringing to end a 15hour trip. The Sripatham members are tired after a three hour procession from Ellaikarai mandapam but there is a certain sense of satisfaction and happiness in their faces of having been blessed to carry Namperumal on this historical day of measuring his Eastern boundary.

Shortly after 10pm, Harish Bhattar, son of Murali Bhattar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/01/murali-bhattar-srirangam-temple-chief.html) got down to decorating Namperumal for the next morning procession including draping him with the Rs. 60 Lakh diamond necklace presented by a devotee couple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/03/srirangam-panguni-uthiram-2024.html).

Srirangam Panguni Chariot Festival 2024

Driven by a no nonsense JC, the Panguni Uthiram festival saw an unprecedented flow of events on Monday and Tuesday and a 'sticking to schedule' never seen before

It is not often that a HR & CE EO is at the temple till midnight for a festival. But Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple’s JC Mariappan is different. Not only is he open in the way he functions and communicates, he is also active on the ground to monitor  the events and is personally committed to remove all obstacles that obstruct the schedule. 

He was at the temple early on Monday morning to oversee the events on the Panguni Uthiram morning. Amidst his busy schedule, he told this writer at the Thayar Sannidhi as to how he foresaw the next 24 hours “The Chariot is scheduled to start at 8am on Tuesday and I am keen for us to stick to that schedule. Working backwards, I am keen that all the events today (Monday) happen keeping the Chariot procession in mind.”

Money Collecting Procession - Fastest return to Thayar Sannidhi

For the first time in several decades, Namperumal, who started out on a 8 street – Chitrai and Uthirai Veethi - procession at 6am on Monday to collect money from devotees for a new ring (he had presented his ring to Kamalavalli Nachiyar at Uraiyur a couple of days earlier) made his way to the Thayar Sannidhi by 8.30am. 

For many decades, this was a big money collecting exercise for the service personnel at the Srirangam temple and it was no different on Monday morning as well. Devotees were furious at the way the service personnel entered their homes and coerced them to handing them money. This act of the service personnel also led one devotee to shout out that they are poor role models for the next gen who he said are unlikely to be impressed with the way the service personnel and the HRCE staff were demanding money from every resident around the 8 streets.

Given this exercise, typically Namperumal made his way to the Thayar Sannidhi only around 9.30am but this time he was there one hour ahead. Message too had gone out to the Araiyars of the day and Pandaris who were to be involved in a heated debate representing Namperumal and Ranganayaki Thayar on how the Lord had made a secret trip to Uraiyur and handed his ring to his beloved there.

Mattai Adi Event by 9.30am

Nam Azhvaar arrived soon in front of the Thayar Sannidhi and the enactment of Ranganayaki Thayar shutting the door on Namperumal’s entry into her Sannidhi was conducted in front of hundreds of devotees. The representatives of Namperumal were seen smeared with butter that was thrown at them by the angry representatives of Thayar. The hour long debate between Thayar and Perumal ended by 11am with the former finally relenting to Nam Azhvaar’s suggestion to permit Namperumal into the Sannidhi. 

Single Minded Focus on Chariot Procession

JC Mariappan told this writer that he would close down the ticketed entry by 7.30pm for Chinna Perumal to make his for the Theerthavari at Kollidam. It was once again an unprecedented decision for typically the tickets were issued till 10pm in the decades gone by. “We are interested in ticket collections and are keen for the events to go as per schedule and for the Chariot to start at 8am on Tuesday.”

It was a single minded devotional endeavour rarely experienced at this temple from a HRCE EO.

Serthi Sevai from 1.30pm - Earliest start

By 1.30pm, both Namperumal and Ranganayaki Thayar had arrived at the Serthi Mandapam and the screen opened to a loud cheer from the large number of devotees who had gathered at the prakara for the a first glimpse of the divine couple. Once again, the JC surprised one and all by being physically present to ensure that the crowd was managed well and no special VIP treatment was being meted out on this crowded afternoon. He directed his staff on the management of the crowd and the opening and closing of the gates at the mandapam. Through the afternoon and evening, he kept every HRCE member on their toes.

TN Ranji winning captain surprised

Former TN Ranji Trophy winning Captain S Vasudevan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/vasudevan-tn-ranji-trophy-retirement.html) was at the Panguni Uthiram festival after many years and he too was taken by surprise at the early darshan of Serthi Sevai "Our idea was to have darshan by 3pm which is the usual time that the first darshan of Serthi Sevai takes place. We arrived just before 1pm by car and came straight to the Sannidhi and were surprised as to how the Divine Couple were almost ready to provide darshan. We were happy that we could have a peaceful and orderly darshan well before 3pm."

Sayana Perumal at Kollidam Northern Banks- 7.30pm start!!!

As promised in the morning, the ticket sales were closed by 7.30pm and shortly after Chinna Perumal made his way to Kollidam for the Theerthavari event. Rarely had Chinna Perumal made his way before 10pm on this Panguni Uthiram evening. There was not a drop of water on the Southern banks and hence the Vedic Pundits along with the priests  and the service personnel made their way to the Northern Banks of Kollidam to near Nochiyam for the Theerthavari event. Raksha Bandhanam priest Arvind Bhattar who works in an IT firm in Madras, made his way to Srirangam for the Panguni Brahmotsavam. He was the one who performed the Theerthavari at Kollidam on Monday evening. 

The day’s events were so well orchestrated that Maniyakaarar Sridhar had informed the Gadya Trayam Ghosti of the preponement well in advance and the entire Ghosti team was present by 9.30pm. In decades gone by, the Ghosti started well past 11.30pm and there have been years when it had been 1am when the Gadya Trayam Thodakkam took place. But on Monday evening, much to everyone’s surprise, the recital started at 9.30pm and ended by 10.30pm. Even the Ghosti members could not believe the way as to how the Satru Murai had been completed at the Panguni Uthiram mandapam by 11pm.

JC stays till the end of Gadya Trayam 

It was past 11.30pm and JC Mariappan was still at the Thayar Sannidhi. He was visibly happy with the way the day had panned out “I think we are on track for the Chariot procession to start at 8am. Devotees have had a peaceful darshan and those that were present seemed to have enjoyed the Gadya Traya presentation with silence being maintained for a large part.”

This was followed by a five-hour Thirumanjanam when the vastrams were draped on Perumal and Thayar 16 times. It was a long and tiring exercise for the priests but they stuck to their task through the night.

It was 5am on Tuesday morning when the screen finally came down after the Thirumanjanam. Devotees began streaming in large numbers to the Thayar Sannnidhi to have a final darshan of the divine couple and for the return procession of Thayar to her Sannidhi which took place at 7am. Shortly after, Namperumal made his way to the Go Ratham on East Chitrai street. 

At the entrance of the Thayar Sannidhi, a special mariyathai was presented to JC’s assistant Vel Murugan who had planned and anchored the HRCE side of these events over the previous 24 hours. He told this writer that he was delighted that the entire set of events had gone almost fully as per plan and that a 10-15minute delay was understandable and acceptable. 

For Maniyam Sridhar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/03/srirangam-temple-time-keeper.html), it was a tiring 24 hours as he was the one who ensured the timely conduct of the Panguni Uthiram Utsavam but he was happy that the day had gone as per plan. There was still a bit in his bag to be completed and that was to take Namperumal safely to the Chariot and to start the procession as planned. 

The prabhandham ghosti gathered in good numbers just past 7.30am and began their recital of Siriya Thiru Madal as Namperumal made his way through the North Chitrai Street to the Chariot.  JC Mariappan’s face wore a fresh happy look on Tuesday morning as he swarmed by Kainkaryapakas and devotees alike with congratulatory handshakes of how this historical temple town had seen an unprecedented sticking to Panguni Uthiram schedule.

In his parting comment, he told this writer on East Chitrai Street as he walked in front of the Chariot that it had been a very hot week and one had to ensure that devotees and service personnel are not put to hardship during this Chariot procession “We were clear that we wanted this utsavam to be devotee friendly and focused for it to start 8am so the devotees enjoy the procession before the Sun beats down hard.”

He had his wish fulfilled. Namperumal mounted on to the Chariot at 8am and after a sacred pooja, the Go Ratham began its procession around the four Chitrai streets at 8.30am much to the delight of the few hundred devotees who gathered for the start of the procession.

Srirangam Panguni Uthiram 2024 Namperumal Diamond Necklace

A devotee couple from North Chitra Street present a Diamond Studded Kili Haaram on the occasion of Panguni Uthiram

Bhama Ranganathan is 74 years old. She grew up in West Adayavalanjan, very near the Thayar Sannidhi and was a lecturer at Seethalakshmi College, Trichy. Both her Grand Fathers dedicated themselves to Lord Ranganatha and were to spend their lives in Srirangam till their last breath. They were always keen on kainkaryam at the feet of Namperumal. It had been her long time wish to present something to Namperumal and finally an opportunity presented itself. 

In conversation with hereditary priest Harish Bhattar, she found that there was no Kili Haaram for Namperumal and took that opportunity as a great blessing

Over the last year, she worked closely with Harish Bhattar and a jeweler in Bombay to craft this beautiful necklace that Namperumal adorned at the Serthi Sevai on this Panguni Uthiram day on Monday here in Srirangam. 

Shortly after the Serthi Sevai, she told this writer that it was a great feeling to be blessed with such an opportunity to present the necklace on this sacred occasion “We readily agreed when Harish Bhattar told us that Kili Maalai would be a good addition to the collection. We identified a high quality jeweler in Bombay who would get us the best quality stones and who was experienced in this field. He came to Srirangam to have darshan of Namperumal and was excited at this opportunity to craft the necklace. Harish Bhattar was involved in every step from designing the necklace to selecting the stones.”

There are thirty parrots in the necklace in line with Andal’s 30 verses from the Thiruppavai, as per Harish Bhattar's idea.

It was a time consuming process and took a year but Bhama is delighted to Namperumal adoring this necklace on the sacred occasion of Panguni Uthiram with several thousands thronging the temple through the afternoon for a darshan of Namperumal and Ranganayaki Thayar at the Serthi Mandapam.

Bhama’s husband Ranganathan, an electrical engineer worked in Dubai for four decades and he told this writer that his wife was always in thoughts of Lord Ranganatha and for long had been keen to present an ornament for the Lord. He too expressed happiness at the end to end involvement of Harish Bhattar in this devotional engagement.

Harish Bhattar who draped Namperumal with this beautiful necklace told this writer that the stones comprised of high quality and pure diamonds, emeralds, blue sapphire and ruby. He says he was particularly keen for it to be pure and original and hence he and the jeweler took time to find the right stones for Namperumal.

In a beautifully crafted letter to EO Mariappan, Bhama requested for the temple to use this necklace on appropriate occasions through the year.

On Monday afternoon, following the debate between the Araiyars on Namperumal's side and Pandari on Thayar's, Namperumal made his way to the Panguni Uthiram mandapam followed shortly by Ranganayaki Thayar. 

When the screen opened for the first time just after 1.30 pm for the first glimpse of the divine couple, devotees were thrilled to find the star studded Kili Maalai across Namperumal’s chest. Many stood there spell bound watching the glittering jewel on Namperumal.

Kapali Panguni Utsavam 2024 Rajeswari Devotee

This 96 year old lady is looking forward to the midnight Rishabham next Wednesday

This section has featured many stories in the last few years on the devotees’ love for Kapaleeswarar and their attachment to the annual Panguni Utsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/04/kapali-panguni-utsavam.html) and how each of them play a part in it. There are just a few days to go for this year's utsavam, and the grand processions from the decades gone by are already playing out in the mind of this 96 year old devotee.

Hailing from Kadaladi village near Pozhur (Vandavasi), K. Rajeswari has been present at the Panguni Utsavam for close to six decades. It is a hot Tuesday (March 12) morning at the Kapaleeswarar temple but unmindful of the heat she has made her way to each of the Sannidhis and is walking around the prakara with her son VK Manoharan, a retired Sanskrit teacher. Just 48 hours earlier, devotees thronged in large numbers on Sunday morning to carry the 1000 Paal Kudam to the Kola Villi Amman temple. This is an event that she fondly remembers from her early years in Mylapore.

To the temple before 5am on the Adikaara Nandi morning

Rajeswari is all excited as she recalls to this writer her experiences at the Panguni Utsavam dating back to the late 1960s and early 70s “I would wake very early on the third morning and reach the temple well before 5am for the start of the Adikaara Nandi procession. There were three specific locations that I would particularly stand and have darshan – the deeparathanai at Yaaga Salai, the Gopura Vaasal and the 16 pillar mandapam. These are three points where I never missed having a close darshan during this utsavam.”

Rishabham - A Lifetime favourite

Rishabham (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/03/kapali-devotee-aparna-panguni-utsavam.html), like for most other Kapali devotees, has been a lifetime favourite for this nonagenarian. “Even as the procession started inside the temple, there would be big fire crackers that would go on the north mada side of the tank near the Indian Bank. It was a grand display of fire works that all the devotees look forward. And then the Gopura Vaasal Deeparathanai at midnight was the big moment for me as devotees roared with shouts of ‘kapali, kapali’. It was an unforgettable experience to be amidst those hundreds of devotees in front of the Raja Gopuram” says Rajeshwari even as tears roll down her cheeks narrating that most devotional midnight moment of the Panguni Utsavam.

All the way on the Chariot morning

As the Panguni Utsavam moved into the second half, Rajeswari would be present end to end for the Chariot festival pulling the car at the start of the procession on the East Mada street. “It was the one day in the utsavam when devotees congregated from afar to pull the chariot around the four streets. We saw huge crowds on that morning and there would be devotees on the top of house floors to witness the chariot passing by at a slow pace.”

“Being the start of the summer, cucumber, butter milk and paanagam would be distributed and that came as a relief to the devotees.”

The Arubathumoovar

On the Arubathumoovar evening (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/04/kapali-panguni-utsavam-2023.html), she recalls having darshan of Lords from different temples in the city. "While we were all excited to have darshan of the 63 Saint Poets, it was also an evening for us to have darshan of swamis from different temples in the city and we heard stories about each of these temples on that evening" Rajeswari tells this writer.

 

Her husband V. D. Krishnaswamy Sarma, who passed away in the early 1980s, was a school teacher at Vayalamoor, a village near Senji. He was an Upanyasakar and would sit near the Pillayar Sannidhi at the eastern entrance of the Kapaleeswarar Temple presenting historical stories including interesting episodes from the Thiruvachakam. “Once he went to Calcutta to present an upanyasam. A week later, Kripananda Vaariyar too presented one at the same location. When he found a name from the Senji village in that memory book of the organisers, he came back to the village and located Krishnaswamy Sarma.”

Maasam Pathu - enakku 'Maa Sampathu'

Impressed with his contribution to the history and culture, Vaariyar organised Rs. 10 to be sent to him every month by money order. Acknowledging this support, she says that her husband told him ‘Maasam Pathu is ‘Maa Sampathu’ for me bringing out a big laughter in Vaariyar.”

 “Later when the sons had grown up and we moved to Madras, my husband went to an upanyasam of Vaariyar at Asthiga Samajam and requested him for the financial support to be stopped. Vaariyar was so impressed with this gesture that he made a public announcement about the contentment of my husband at the end of that upanyasam", she recounts as to how contended her husband was. 

Sandy Prakaras

Son Manoharan says that she likes being in the midst of devotees at this temple. Even though she has to climb two floors at home, she insists on coming to the Kapali temple every day and is already looking forward to the Panguni utsavam. "There was no cement flooring like you have now in those early years and the sandy path around the prakara was soft on the feet in those years. We enjoyed walking around in a pradakshinam.”

Her son donned the Sripatham role

One of her sons, Sekar, who passed away in a road accident, was an active voluntary member of the Sripatham team that carried Kapaleeswarar on their shoulders during this utsavam. She misses him badly at this utsavam but the sight of him carrying Kapali is still fresh “Every year, when I am at the procession, I visualise Sekar carrying the Lord around the four streets.”

Come 9pm on Friday evening, it is likely that the longtime Mylaporeans (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/07/kapali-theevatti-pmo-consultant-v.html) will see this familiar face yet again at the start of the Pillayar procession on the Mooshika Vahanam. It has been 55 glorious years for Rajeswari at the Panguni Utsavam and she just cannot wait for this year’s utsavam to start and the shouts of 'Kapali Kapali' is already ringing in her ears.