Kapali Temple one year Pushpa Kainkaryam stopped by HRCE

Last month, Kapali temple authorities ruthlessly and indiscriminately stopped the Pushpa Kainkaryam - Despite repeated promises made by the JC, the authorities have not given permission to restart the Kainkaryam inside the temple

On March 4, this section featured a story on the year long Pushpa Kainkaryam that a team of around 30 devotees headed by GG Sivakumar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/03/kapali-temple-pushpa-kainkaryam-gg.html) had been performing sitting every evening at the Navarathri Mandapam of the Kapaleeswarar temple. Sivakumar also performs voluntary service as a senior member of the Station Vigilance Committee managing crowds during the big utsavams at the Kapaleeswarar temple. 

Chief Priests Venkatasubramanian Shivachariar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/07/kapaleeswarar-temple-jayakanthan.html) and Balaji Gurukal (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/04/kapali-temple-balaji-gurukal.html) too had played a positive role in the first phase of this Kainkaryam encouraging this team to perform the pushpa kainkaryam and present the flower garlands to be draped on multiple idols at the temple every morning.

ஆமாறு அறியும் பிரானே

அணி அரங்கத்தே கிடந்தாய்

ஏமாற்றம் என்னைத் தவிர்ந்தாய்

இருவாட்சிப் பூச்சூட்ட வாராய்

A Bolt from the Blue to the Kainkaryapakas

Unfortunately, out of the blue, the then Maniyakaarar of the temple (who has since been suspended for 'not maintaining proper records of Ubayadarars') told Sivakumar that one of the trustees had asked for the Kainkaryam to be stopped with immediate effect and that they could no more continue this kainkaryam. When Sivakumar asked the reason, the Maniyakaarar told him that the trustee had said that the navarathri mandapam was left uncleaned!!! 

Every devotee at the temple who has visited the Artha Jaama Pooja over the last year are eyes to the fact that this team keeps the mandapam 'spic and span' after the completion of their knotting work every evening. And how did the trustee suddenly find this as a reason after one year of service!!!

This came as a bolt from the blue to the set of Kainkaryapakas who had been devoting a couple of hours every evening for a year in this service of knotting the flowers at the Navarathri Mandapam and presenting the flower garlands. While a majority of the service personnel were mid aged women, there were also a few like IITian Shiv Priya Viswanathan who saw the pushpa kainkaryam as a great blessing of Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal to be bestowed on her at such a young age. The pulling back of the permission by the HRCE has come as a great shock to all the Pushpa Kainkarya personnel.

Kapali temple Trustees Tirunavukarasu and Arumugam too had been great admirers of this selfless Kainkaryam ever since it began a year ago at the start of the Vasantha Utsavam in 2023. This year's Vasantha Utsavam for Singaravellar is currently on at the Kapaleeswarar temple but sadly for the set of Pushpa Kainkarya personnel who had started this sacred service in Chitrai of last year, it has been an endless wait of over a month hoping each day that the permission for resumption of their Kainkaryam inside the temple complex would come from the temple JC. 

JC Promises to give permission to restart

Earlier this month, this writer met the temple JC Kavenitha to enquire about the reasons behind the stopping of the Pushpa Kainkaryam. She told this writer that she was happy with the way Sivakumar and his team had been performing the service since the time she had taken charge at the temple in June last year and promised to give them permission.

நிச்சிலும் தீமைகள் செய்வாய் 

நீள் திருவேங்கடத்து எந்தாய் 

பச்சைத் தமனகத்தோடு 

பாதிரிப் பூச்சூட்ட வாராய் 

A week later, temple activist and President of the Temple Worshippers Society TR Ramesh (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/02/tr-ramesh-temple-activist.html) told this writer that he met the JC in her office reg the Pushpa Kainkaryam issue and she  promised him that she would give Sivakumar permission immediately to continue the great work his team had been doing over the previous year.

Refusal to permit Kainkaryam against fundamental rights

Days passed and when the permission was not granted, TR Ramesh tweeted on his X handle as to how the Kapaleeswarar temple authorities were not even allowing devotees to perform a pushpa kainkaryam inside the temple (https://x.com/trramesh/status/1779411464031261048?s=48&t=7YuQtV1XTGIFP11C5AgPMQ).

On Sunday morning, he told this writer that pious and usable contributions by a devotee cannot be refused by a public temple. "Traditionally and piously strewn garlands within the temple precincts should be encouraged. Flowers are perishables and should be draped on the deities as quickly as possible. Such refusal would go against the fundamental religious rights of devotees guaranteed by the Constitution of India", Ramesh said.

JC cannot interfere in Pooja and Rituals

He added that the JC of the temple has no authority under the HRCE act to interfere in the poojas and rituals and that this selfless service of Pushpa Kainkaryam at the Navarathri Mandapam should be revived immediately.

When Sivakumar met the JC to check regarding the permission earlier this week, she asked him to perform this service sitting on the floor outside the side gate next to the Eastern Rajagopuram near the Pookadai. Sivakumar found this insulting and refused. He told this writer that his team comprised primarily of women members and that he could not ask them to sit between the two side gates on the eastern side to knot the flowers.

அள்ளி நீ வெண்ணை விழுங்க

அஞ்சாது அடியேன் அடித்தேன்

தெள்ளிய நீரில் எழுந்த

செங்கழுநீர் சூட்ட வாராய்

Ruthless and Indiscriminate use of HRCE Power

When the JC and the Board of Trustees should be encouraging such selfless service, especially this one involving presenting flower garland to the deities knotted within the sacred temple complex, they have been dismissive of this Kainkaryam and have ruthlessly used their power to stop this Kainkaryam.

                           Singaravellar - Will HE provide an answer?

The tweet of TR Ramesh last week that had reached the powers that be at the HRCE headquarters and the State Government too seem to have not had the desired effect of reviving this sacred Pushpa Kainkaryam.

The Greatness of Pushpa Kainkaryam

Vaishnavite Acharya Periyaazhvar refers to the greatness of Pushpa Kainkaryam in an entire decad of verses called ‘Poochoodal’(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2015/09/krishna-poochoodal.html) and a ten day utsavam is exclusively dedicated to presentation of different varieties of flower garlands by devotees at the Srirangam temple every Chitrai (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/06/poochatru-utsavam-srirangam.html).

கரு உடை மேகங்கள் கண்டால்

உன்னைக் கண்டால் ஒக்கும் கண்கள்

உரு உடையாய் உலகு எழும்

உண்டாக வந்து பிறந்தாய்

திரு உடையால் மணவாள

திருவரங்கதே கிடந்தாய்

மருவி மனம் கமழுகின்ற

மல்லிகை பூச் சூட்ட வாராய்

Sivakumar told this writer on Sunday that till this morning he had not received permission from the temple to resume the kainkaryam within the temple complex. 

After multiple representations and face to face meetings with the JC of the Kapaleeswarar temple, if the permission has not been granted for this sacred kainkaryam, one wonders as to what devotees of temples should do to serve the Lord selflessly.

Will the HR & CE minister PK Sekar Babu (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/05/hr-ce-minister-sekar-babu-on-roll.html) look into this issue immediately and direct the Kapali temple authorities to permit these sincere and committed devotees to continue the Pushpa Kainkaryam.