After a chequered childhood, Nagarajan has seen financially good times at the Akilandeswari Jambukeswarar temple in Thiruvanaikal where he has served as a Sannidhi Paricharakar for three decades
Paricharakar Nagarajan wears a worried look on Wednesday (Oct 15) morning at the Ranganayaki Thayar Sannidhi in Srirangam. Having served at the Akilandeswari Jambukeswarar temple in Thiruvanaikaval for the last three decades, he now has only a couple of years of service left. With his daughter is still at school, he is keen for her to study Siddha Medicine, though she herself is interested in IT but is not sure as to how he will fund her collegiate education.
கையிலுண்ணுங் கையருங் கடுக்கடின் கழுக்களும்
மெய்யைப்போர்க்கும் பொய்யரும் வேதநெறியை யறிகிலார்
தையல்பாக மாயினான் தழலதுருவத் தானெங்கள்
ஐயன்மேய பொய்கைசூழ் ஆனைக்காவு சேர்மினே
Financially Challenged childhood
He had been through a financially challenged childhood with his appa Panchapakesan, who also served at the Thiruvanaikaval temple as a Parichakar, having to take care of four children. “We would get to have upma in the night for dinner only if he received Rs. 2 as Sambhavanai that day at the temple. There was no electricity at home till the 1980s. There was also no proper toilet and bath facilities in the thatched hut that we lived back then. We did not know if we would get the next meal" he told this writer looking back at the financial struggle during this school days.
As seen in many other stories on remote temples, the salary for the service personnel at TN temples was minimal and devotees had dwindled in the 1970s and 80s. With limited salary and almost a non existent devotee sambhavanai it was a struggle for Parichakara Panchapakesan to take care of a large family.
Quits after Class X, joins his appa at the temple
Nagarajan quit academics at 15 and began to support his appa at the temple watching him perform the paricharaka service. He was appointed as a Paricharaka at the Thiruvanaikaval temple in the 1990s at a salary in the 100s. Since then, he has been donning the role of a Paricharaka, one that entails abhishekam for parivara moorthy, keeping the Sannidhi clean, carrying the canopy for Pandithar during the uchi kaala pooja, support services during six kaala pooja and palliyarai service.
விண்ணின் மாமதி சூடி
விலையிலி கலன்அணி விமலன்
பண்ணின் நேர்மொழி மங்கை
பங்கினன் பசுவுகந் தேறி
அண்ண லாகிய ஆனைக்
காவுடை ஆதியை நாளும்
எண்ணு மாறுவல் லார்கள்
எம்மையும் ஆளுடை யாரே
Soon after joining the temple, I began to learn Purohitam (Rig Vedas) from Bhavani Maama and went for homam activities in and around Thiruvanaikaval for the much needed additional income. Through this he built his devotee network.
Alankaram Expert
At the turn of the century, taking personal interest, he learnt the art of decorating the utsava deities initiated into this highly satisfying activity by Pandurangan, a senior Paricharakar at that time. He became so interested in the alankaram of Swami and Ambal that he took that up as an additional responsibility and has now been decorating the deities ahead of processions for the last two decades.
“It is a physically demanding and laborious process to decorate the deity but the satisfaction at the end of it is very high. From the attire to the abaranams, one has to pay attention to minute details. You also have to be ready for criticism if devotees don’t like the alankaram or if its below their expectations”, says Nagarajan.
This has imposed a great deal of responsibility in him to take care in decorating swami and ambal and it is something that has given endless satisfaction and peace of mind. Following the alankaram, he also goes along with the deities on the procession presenting Vibhoothi to the devotees around the four streets. Given this experience, he has now become an alankaram expert at the temple.
Over the last decade or so, he has also rebuilt the house from the previously thatched hut it was till the end of the previous century. He and his two brothers and their families continue to live as per the old Joint family system bucking the current trend. His younger brother, Raghavan, too joined him in the Paricharaka service with both of them seeking to continue the service in the footsteps of their father. The elder brother as was the trend in the decades gone by took to the corporate world.
வலங்கொள் வாரவர் தங்கள்
வல்வினை தீர்க்கும் மருந்து
கலங்கக் காலனைக் காலாற்
காமனைக் கண்சிவப் பானை
அலங்கல் நீர்பொரும் ஆனைக்
காவுடை ஆதியை நாளும்
இலங்கு சேவடி சேர்வார்
எம்மையும் ஆளுடை யாரே
The reconstruction of the house has led to a good percentage of his salary and his savings being taken away towards the home loan repayment.
Better times, financially
Despite the financial challenges of his childhood and the low income in the initial decade of his service as a paricharaka, things have turned around for him with the devotional wave striking TN temples in a big way over the last decade and he feels blessed to have been assigned to perform the paricharaka service at this legendary temple built by Ko Chenganan Chozha.
The Jambukeswarar temple is located on the Northern banks of Cauvery in Thiruvanaikaval and is one of the Pancha Bhootha Sthalams, where Lord Shiva manifests himself as ‘Water’ (among the five elements). Hence this is referred to as a ‘Neer’ sthalam. Thiruvanaikaval is home to Nava Theertham and the belief is that those who bathe in the Nava Theertham on Chitra Pournami and invoke the blessings of Jambukeswarar and Akilandeswari will attain Mukthi. The temple dates back to the 5th century AD to the rule of Kochenganan Chozha, who ruled from Uraiyur and is an architectural marvel with high roofs, five huge prakaras south of the Coloroon, towering Gopurams in the East and the West and Nava Theerthams. The temple has been praised by Appar, Thiru Gnana Sambandar and Sundara Moorthy Nayanar.
While he is hopeful that Akilandeswari, whom he has beautifully decorated on numerous occasions over the last decade, will take care of him just as she has in the times gone by, there is anxiety around his daughter and funding her collegiate education given that he is set to retire in the next couple of years. He heads back to Thiruvanaikaval from the Thayar Sannidhi with the confidence that his selfless service dating back to the 1990s will hold him in good stead in the future.
Paricharaka Nagarajan can be reached on 94864 84545
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