In a dilapidated state two years ago, this Kaala Sarpa Dosha Nivarana temple has seen a remarkable turnaround with like minded devotees coming forward to keep the HR & CE at bay and revive its fortunes with a Thiruppani that cost over a crore
Santhanam Gurukal is touching 70 and is a delighted man. It is exactly a month after the consecration (July 12) of the Mangalambika Samedha Karkodakeswarar temple in Aravoor, near Nidamangalam. In December 2021, this section had featured a story on the dilapidated state of the Mangalambika Samedha Karkodakeswarar temple in Aravoor(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/12/aravoor-karkodakeswarar-temple.html).
At that time, the outer walls had been completely damaged, there was no electricity inside the temple and the prakara was abound with bushes. There was a thick growth of plantation atop the Ambal and Swami Sannidhis. The brick walled madapalli was in ruins. There had been no repair works of any kind for several decades and consecration had not taken place in a century. Adding to the woes was the fact that the HR & CE was pushing hard to take over the temple from the Thanjavur based trustees.
From no hopes to a Grand Revival
At that time, Santhanam Gurukal did not labour positive hopes of this kind of a turnaround for he had multiple battles on hand and did not foresee an immediate resolution. He himself was living in an old house that dated back to the middle of the 20th century. But this Monday morning (August 12), he sported a big smile as he opens the Sannidhis. The 48day mandalabisekam is still on and is busy with the pooja activities in this phase. The good news for him is that the crowd is back at the temple bringing back positive vibration to this remote village temple. His forefathers had performed pooja at this temple for a century and he is delighted that he has been able to see the consecration in his time.
Taking this writer around the temple on a morning when the sun is out early, he says that there are at least a 100 people for the Pradosham. He expects a full four Kaalam pooja through the night for the Maha Sivarathri in 2025. Neivedyam is being presented every day for the deities in good quantity with the once dilapidated madapalli now sporting a new look.
The village is named as Aravoor (aravam for snake in tamil) and he says that after the Mandalabishekam, devotees are likely to visit for Rahu-Kethu Parikaram as well as Kaala Sarpa Dosham Nivaranam.
A Devotee undertakes the entire Thiruppani responsibility
His namesake Mayil Udayar Santhanam, a long-time resident of Nidamagalam belonged to a team of temple service personnel under the leadership of former Chief Election Commissioner Gopalswamy and this team had restored a 100 temples in the region and in 2021 had come forward to take up the restoration exercise of this temple too. He has been a resident of the East Sannidhi street at Nidamangalam, where he had supported and renovated the Santhana Ramar temple earlier. When this writer met him in December 2021, he was vocal that the trustees from Thanjavur should hand him the renovation orders so his team could get it back to shape.
New Temple Entrance - August 2024
It was he who convinced one of the trustee brothers (Sundara Murugan) regarding the importance of the revival of this temple both for his family as well as for the villagers. The Gurukal had stuck to the temple during its darkest decades and devotee Santhanam was keen to give this temple a new look to also make the Gurukal happy.
Devotees contribute their bit
It was also Santhanam and his team that kept the HR & CE at bay having had experience of having handling renovations in many temples. He too sports a happy smile on this morning as he sits at his home opposite that of the Bhattar of the Santhanarama temple in Nidamangalam and talks to this writer on how he went about organising the renovation activities “Devotees from across the region contributed whatever they could to this Thiruppani. There were those who donated in lakhs and several of them in hundreds and thousands. Every contribution was important for this Thiruppani to become a success. Interestingly, almost all the farmers in the Aravoor belt donated their bit and were keen for the temple to be revived."
He says that he has to now take care of the archaka salary and the monthly maintenance expenses "Our immediate next plan is to create a Nandavanam so flowers can be presented to Swami and Ambal every day and we are working towards that.”
Rebuilding Gurukal's home
Devotee Santhanam is also keen to rebuild the archaka’s house for him to have a comfortable life at this old age “Santhanam Gurukal has been the backbone of this entire exercise. He stood by us and gave us the confidence that we could do this. This temple is very close to his heart having been associated for over half a century and he wanted the festivities to be revived.”
Dilapidated temple complex in Dec'21 - Swami Vimana, Madapalli, temple entrance
Karungal Thiruppani
In 2022, the entire dilapidated temple was brought down and over the last two years it has been rebuilt from scratch. The Karungal stones, that were an integral part of the temple, have been restored as is with a stapathy from Thoothukudi taking care of the Karungal Thiruppani.
There had been parts of the temple that were brick construction including the Madapalli. Those zones in the temple complex have been restored in its same form.
Narayana Bhattar of Santhanarama Temple, Nidamangalam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/12/nidamangalam-santhanaramar-temple.html), who has just had a knee replacement, performed the consecration of the Rama and Lakshmana Sannidhi devotionally bearing the severe leg pain he has had over the last couple of months (this temple houses historical centuries old idols of Rama Sita and Lakshmana as well as Hanuman).
The Pillayar Sannidhi too had been completely damaged and this too has been rebuilt. As this is a temple for Sarpa Dosha Nivarthi, there has been a new idol installed at the entrance of the Swami Sannidhi. There is also a separate sannidhi for Hanuman, Bairvar, Maha Lakshmi and Murugar.
Next Year's Maha Sivarathri
Santhanam Gurukal is already looking forward to a big night on Maha Sivarathri next year and believes devotees from all the neighbouring villages will congregate for the Utsavam "There were at least 25 archanais for the previous Pradosham, an indication that devotees are coming back to the temple."
Continues to live in a small old styled house
He had been given a large tract of farming land in this village in the last century and he continues to cultivate paddy there. He and his wife lead a contended life with performing pooja being at the core of his life “My appa passed away when I was in Class VI and I have been performing pooja ever since for the last six decades. My entire life has centered around this temple even when it had become dilapidated.”
The fortunes of this temple has been turned around similar to the one at the Varadaraja Perumal temple, Ayyur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/08/ayyur-varadaraja-perumal-samprokshanam.html) with the renovation of both these being anchored by devotees. The home of Sowrirajan Bhattar at Pinna Vaasal had been completely refurbished by a devotee. It is hoped that Santhanam Gurukal’s home too would be rebuilt for it is he who has stayed through the entire dark phase for this temple in the late 20th Century and through the first two decades of this century.
The Gurukal's current focus though is on seeing through the mandalabishekam over the next fortnight as he heads back to prepare one padi Chakkarai Pongal Neivedyam for Swami and Ambal on this Monday morning.
The Karkodakeswarar temple in Aravoor is yet another case of how a real threat of a HR & CE take over has been kept away in a remote village through the efforts of like minded devotees who came together along with the trustee to restore this historical temple pooling together Rs. 1.10crores to undertake a two year restoration exercise.
Aravoor is four kms North East of Nidamangalam off the Tiruvarur highway. An auto from Nidamangalam costs Rs. 150 (Ph.: 75025 44840).
Devotees wanting to visit the new look temple may call Santhanam Gurukal on @ 9790473398 in advance.
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