From IT Sector to Divya Desam Art Painting
This Comp Science Engineer has begun a transition from a high flying IT career to a Devotional Engagement with God through his exquisite depiction of Parivara Moorthies at the Nambi Divya Desam in Thiru Kurungudi
In May 2020, this section had featured a story on the then 10 year Thiruvallikeni school boy Prahladh and his passion for devotional paintings (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/05/prahladh-devotional-drawing.html). A year later, he was the one who pointed to the shifting of the Narasimha Idol at Ahobilam during his trip to that Divya Desam. This story is about an IT professional whose devotional life has turned 'magical' in his 30s after a nine month experience at Thiru Kurungudi.
When the Moolavar Sannidhis open for darshan exactly ten days from now (Consecration on March 25) after a Balalayam break of a year, the exquisite paintings that devotees find behind the Moolavar Idols at the three Nambi Sannidhis in Thiru Kurungudi would have been the handiwork of a 36year old IT professional from Nanganallur, Chennai. Computer Science Engineer from Visveswaraya Institute M. Guru Prasad (Krishna Swami) has been in the IT sector for well over a decade. Outside of his proficiency in academics, he had developed an early interest in Mural Paintings taking inspiration from the idols seen in annual calendars and depicting the Chozha bronzes through his drawings. That passion for the brush is turning into a great devotional opportunity.
தூங்கார் அரவ திரை வந்து உலவத்தொடு கடலுள்
பொங்கார் இரவில் துயிலும் புனிதரூர் போலும்
செங்கால் அன்னம் திகழ் தன் பணையில் பெடையோடும்
கொங்கார் கமலத்து அலரில் சேரும் குறுங்குடியே
Mentoring under Sasi Edavarad
Almost two decades ago, when the celebrated Sasi Edavarad, the renowned mentor in Mural Paintings, came to Bangalore from Kozhikode, Guru Prasad attended a workshop and that proved to be a big inspiration and a turning point in his life. He learned indepth the intricacies behind the Mural Paintings attending more workshops exploring micro painting in his teenage years.
“I would travel 3 hours one way from my house to Bidadi, learn the traditional Hoysala sculptures and related painting for one hour and then travel back three more hours” he told this writer this week at Thiru Kurungudi looking back at his first professional learning experience on Mural Paintings.
And then, he was initiated into training on Sirpangals and granthas by Gnanananda at the Siddha Gurukulam in Bangalore where the Guru taught students in an open natural environment under the tree.
Shilpa Sastras and Chitra Sootram
Based on these experiences, he began asking deeper questions about Lords and his curiosity rose on the forms of Narasimha with 16 and 24 hands and the like!!! He delved more into Shilpa Sastras and Chitra Sootram and understood that it was not just about drawing ‘Roopams’. “There was a devotional aspect to it on how make idols into art forms. The curiosity about who is Vishnu, his conch and chakra, the forms of Vishnu and the idol in each of these forms and the science behind the colours drew me closer to Perumal. Why Madanagopal should be in Pink and not in Blue and so on”, says Guruprasad.
He also learned a bit of Parameswara Samhita as he went along while focusing on his IT career as well. He also knew a bit of Sanskrit and that helped too. Also attending several workshops to sharpen his skills and to gain practical knowledge in his 20s.
Archaeologist's surprise message reg a devotional engagement
A couple of years ago, he had expressed to archaeologist PS Sriraman, known for Keezhadi excavation investigation, his interest to research Mural Paintings and art forms relating to God. Just under a year ago, he received a surprise message from the retired archaeologist about a temple sketching opportunity. “He put me on to the TVS personnel who shared the specifics of the work involved. I had professional IT work on hand but saw this as a God sent opportunity and agreed to this assignment”, Guruprasad told this writer on how this Divya Desam engagement came when he least expected it.
Over the last nine months, he has been involved in this highly devotional exercise of drawing the Parivara Moorthies inside the three Moolavar Perumal Sannidhis at the Azhagiya Nambi temple in Thiru Kurungudi. “In the early phase of this engagement, I would complete my IT work during the day and then take up the drawings that would go on late into the night till 2am. I carried an indepth study of the parivara moorthies, prepared prototype sketches and mock up drawings, discussed it with Vaikanasa Vidwans confirming with them that these were in line with the traditional agama. I then painted to scale and presented demos to archaeologists, Kurungudi Jeer, TVS and the Agama Vidwans” says Guruprasad looking back at the way his life went between August and November 2025.
Extensive Drawings of Parivara Moorthies
While the two artistes from Trichur, Kerala focused on the Moolavar idols in the three Sannidhis, Guruprasad was assigned the task of sketching the Parivara Moorthies that would come up behind these idols in each of these three Sannidhis.
In the Ninra Nambi Sannidhi, he says there is Gajalakshmi in front of Perumal, and Shiva and Brahmma behind the moolavar idol. At the Veetrurintha Sannidhi, there were to be sketches of Brigu, Brahmma, Markandeya, Shiva, Surya, Kinnara Dampathis, Narada, Maya Virksham, Samsadhini, Tumburu, four rishis and Chandran. And then at the Pallikonda Perumal Sannidhi, his artistic endeavour involved painting Sridevi near the Sleeping Lord’s head, Boodevi at his feet, Brahmma, Brigu, Markandeya, Shiva with his family, Ashwin Devathas, Narada, Surya, Tumburu, Garuda, Pancha Ayudha Purushas, Kaumodhagi, Madhu Kaidapars, 8 Dikpalakars and Chandran.
Sabbatical from IT
As the painting work gathered pace, he had to allocate a lot more time to the temple assignment and that led him to what he thought would be a short break from IT. He told this writer earlier this week that it has been a highly engrossing phase in his life where in the initial three months of this assignment 'I straddled between IT work and the painting'.
And then as he moved deeper into the engagement, he opted for a three month sabbatical to relocate to Thiru Kurungudi leaving behind my family back in Chennai. "The decision to take a sabbatical in November was with the idea of having an open ‘return’ ticket to the IT sector once this engagement was completed at Thiru Kurungudi", says Guru Prasad on the thinking at the time of taking a Sabbatical after almost 15 years in the industry.
"But being away from the family and a young daughter has been a shock for them. The daughter has been missing my presence”, Guruprasad notes on the personal downside of this engagement. And that is something he has to keep in mind before taking to such assignments in the future.
A one of a kind personality
Guruprasad is a rare and a one of a kind personality equipped with technology skills, agama knowledge and a natural talent in Painting Murals. Art, Sutra and Agama is a rare intersection with not too many into this at this point of time, in the temple circles. Till about a year ago, he would get into temple drawings when he found time outside of IT work and the family and most of these were for the Pooja Room.
With the consecration just days away (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2026/03/thiru-kurungudi-nambi-temple.html), the art work has gathered momentum and Guru Prasad is in the process of providing the final touches to his drawings. This opportunity in a historic Divya Desam, praised by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Namazhvaar, was not something he expected and it came out of the blue when the Jeer of the Thiru Kurungudi Mutt and TVS Trust were looking for someone who could complement the work done by the Kerala artists who were involved with Mural painting the Moolavar Idols.
These 9 months or so of being active in a devotional engagement has given him so much satisfaction that it has made him contemplate the possibility of diving deeper into this subject. He has been in the IT sector for almost a decade and a half and that has been his bread winner all along. There is a young family to take care of and his aged parents as well.
He recites this below line every day of his life and sees Kainkaryam to Perumal as an important way of life.
தவானுபூதி சம்புத ப்ரீதிக்காரிதா டாசடாம் தேஹிமே க்ருபயா நாத நஜானே கதிமன்யதா
Devotionally Transformational Phase
In the past, he has been involved in sketching the Pancharatra Parameswara Samhita Sudarshana Narasimha Yantra for the sthapathi to sculpt, painting Dhanvantri inspired by Chozha Bronze iconography, a reference sketch of Raja Gopalaswamy for the sthapathi and a Garuda Dwaja as per the Pancharatra Ishwara Samhita for the Vaira Mudi Brahmotsavam at Melkote, in Panguni last year.
But just like how the upcoming consecration will be the first full fledged one in over a 100 years, these nine months at Thiru Kurungudi has been the biggest and the longest full time devotional engagement for Guru Prasad.
Thiru Mangai Azhvaar's verse comes back to life again
In his Periya Thirumozhi, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar, describing the fresh flowers from the mountains (the western ghats behind the revamped Nandavanam now present a peaceful sight), where the bees sing over fragrant Mullai flowers, asks devotees to offer worship and serve at Thiru Kurungudi with devotion and be elevated.
நின்ற வினையும் துயரும் கெட மா மலர் ஏந்தி
சென்று பணிமின் எழுமின் தொழுமின் தொண்டீர்காள்
என்றும் இரவும் பகலும் வரி வண்டு இசை பாட
குன்றின் முல்லை மன்றிடை நாறும் குறுங்குடியே
On the lines of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar's praise, Guru Prasad has found his presence at Thiru Kurungudi to be a devotionally transformational experience and his almost full time stint at Thiru Kurungudi has made him think about what lies ahead for him. In these nine months, being full time with God and sketching multiple Moorthies every single day has been ‘devotional magic’ in his life, something that he did not expect to come his way. Should he now take the return ticket to the IT sector as was the plan when to opted for the Sabbatical or should he dive deep into continuing this devotional engagement.
In the meantime, he has also started mentoring a select set of students on Chitra Kalaa focusing on sastric precision, meditative process and technical discipline.
There are a good number of temples in Tamil Nadu that have Varna Kalaa idols and based on the high quality work at this Divya Desam, there could be newer opportunities coming his way. The decision between a future in the IT sector and a more devotionally enriching engagement with ancient temples is something he is likely to take a call on in the coming years. but for the moment he is basking in the glory of having been the one to be assigned the devotional task of sketching the entire parivara moorthies at the three Moolavar Sannidhis. And that he counts as a big blessing from Nambi of Thiru Kurungudi.
11 year old's devotional drawings catches 'Ahobilam Narasimha' - https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/07/ahobilam-yogananda-narasimha.html
A story on a teenager's passion for painting: https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2025/08/tarika-ram-kalpa-druma-art-of-happiness.html
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