Srirangam Temple New JC Sivaram Kumar

Rameswaram temple JC comes back to Srirangam after undertaking a number of positive initiatives at the Ramanathaswamy temple over the last 18 months

                    JC Sivaram Kumar - Making a Srgm Comeback

There is relief amongst the staffers of the HR & CE at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam following the announcement of the transfer of JC Mariappan to the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai. The JC of the last 18 months had been a tough nut to crack and minced no words in getting his team to slog at the temple. He was ruthless on those who engaged in gossip and chit chat and assigned them to specific tasks and responsibilities. This was very different from the previous experiences the HR & CE staff had with the earlier JCs. Processes were streamlined so much so that it was not easy for anyone to get through to special darshan. During the Adyayana Utsavam and on the Panguni Uthiram day, he ensured that devotees could not cut through queues easily. He also questioned a lot of the requests from the media for special passes on the Vaikunta Ekadasi day this year and cleared only the genuine ones.

Last year, for the first time in a long time, he let go additional ticket income and closed the special ticket counter very early on the Panguni Uthiram evening in order to ensure that the Chariot Procession started on time the next morning . As per plan, the procession began at 8am around the Chitra Streets. This section had featured stories on the development steps initiated by JC Mariappan and his tireless work at the Srirangam temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/03/srirangam-panguni-uthiram-2024.html).

For a while he had been assigned additional charge of Pudukottai as well in 2024 and he would come to the Rangathaswamy temple in Srirangam late in the evening after visiting the Pudukottai temple and work well past 10pm each day. He was also clear that he would not interfere in the ‘Ul Thurai’ pooja and left those to the Kainkaryaparas.

His no nonsense approach did not always go well as the staffers had got used to a more leisurely working style in the time before him (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/12/srirangam-temple-jc-mariappan.html). 

                             Outgoing JC Mariappan

Very soon, Sivaram Kumar, who was the JC here for a brief period in 2023, will make a come back, this time from the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram and take charge. 

This section had in October 2023 featured a story on the developmental initiatives Sivaram Kumar had taken in Rameswaram, those that did not go well with the local agents there. But unmindful of the criticisms, he took some bold steps. The positive initiatives at the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram included keeping away touts and agents misleading devotees and fleecing them for special darshan. He had also taken steps for the construction of bathrooms, toilets, chappal stands and lockers outside the temple complex, each of which were previously manned by private personnel who fleeced unwary devotees.

He managed to keep the fleecing agents away and streamlined the queue system with devotees having a new positive experience. Periodic announcements through a public address system alerted devotees from not falling prey to the agents. A 30000 litre purified water tank was installed to supply free water to the devotees. Across the temple complex, new fans were installed for those standing in the queue for darshan.  

The toilet block at the North Gate as well as the locker room were completed during his 18 months stint as the EO. 850 mobiles can now be kept for Rs.  5 each compared to the Rs. 20 that was being charged previously by the private shops. At the new free slipper facility, 1000 pairs can be kept at any point of time. 

A huge guest house measuring over 10000 sq ft has been reconstructed near the Rameswaram Railway station. Through this facility, the temple will be able to provide dormitory accommodation to 450 devotees and this will be of great utility value once the remodelled Railway Station is launched.

In May last, he anchored the removed of the unauthorised Shiva Lingam and Nandi in Dhanushkodi. He had told this writer then that local residents and guides had been misleading visiting devotees about this being the historical Shiva Lingam that Lord Rama performed Thiru Aradhana and collected money by fleecing unwary devotees.

It is unlikely that the staffers at the Srirangam temple will have any respite from hard work for Sivaram Kumar too is a tough task master and will not put up with any slack in work. For Sivaram Kumar, it will be a shift from one large highly crowded temple to another similar one where devotees throng the temple all through the year. He is all excited to be back for a longer term at the Ranganathaswamy temple and told this writer that he will ensure that a number of positive and devotee friendly initiatives will be undertaken at the Srirangam temple similar to the ones he took at the Rameswaram temple. To that extent, devotees can look forward to a peaceful and smooth darshan especially on high crowd days.

With the Panguni Uthiram festival set to take place in the second week of April, it will be interesting to see the positive initiatives the new JC takes at the Ranganathaswamy temple.