Perarulalar Ramanuja Jeer and Venu Srinivasan come together for the largest restoration exercise in over a 100 years
This historic Divya Desam where Thiru Mangai Azhvaar attained Moksham is all set for the first full fledged consecration since 1912
Perarulalar Ramanuja Jeer with a sample memento for the Consecration Day
It is just past 6am on Thursday (March 12) morning and there is already a buzz around the historic Nambi temple in Thiru Kurungudi, one praised by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Namazhvaar. A lady is drawing a beautiful kolam in front of the temple, while the priests and the small set of Kainkaryaparas are preparing themselves for the 7am Vishroopam. The personnel involved in the Thiruppani works are deeply engrossed in their activity in different zones inside the temple. Nambi Bhattar from Nanguneri has arrived early and is seen engaging in a conversation with the Vaikanasa Agama experts strategizing the plans for the mega consecration event that is set to take place on March 25.
எங்கனேயோ அன்னைமீர்காள் என்னை முனிவது நீர்
நங்கள் கோலத் திருக்குறுங்குடி நம்பியை நான் கண்ட பின்
சங்கினோடும் நேமியோடும் தாமரைக் கண்களோடும்
செங்கனிவாய் ஒன்றினோடும் செல்கின்றது என் நெஞ்சமே - Namazhvaar
Known as the ‘Dakshina Badri’, the Azhagiya Nambi temple at Thirukurungudi is located about 40kms from Tirunelveli (and about 15kms from Nanguneri) off the Nagercoil highway at the foot of the Mahendra hill on the Western Ghat. The Lord here is seen 5 different Kolams- Ninra Kolam, Iruntha Kolam, Sayana(Sleeping) Kolam, Thirupaarkadal Nambi and Thirumalai Nambi (on top of the Mahendra hill). It was here that Perumal took the role of a disciple and obtained Vaishnava Initiation from Ramanuja. Hence he is referred to as Vaishnava Nambi.
Jeer exudes confidence
Way back in May last year, when this writer met Perarulalar Ramanuja Jeer, the head of the Thiru Kurungudi Mutt that administers this temple, he had said that the date of the consecration had already been fixed (March 25, 2026) a week ahead of the start of the Panguni Brahmotsavam (starts on April 1 this year with the Pancha Garuda Sevai on April 5 evening) and that he was confident that the restoration activities would go as per plan and be completed on time. There is an aura about this Jeer and the confidence he extols in carrying out his plans for the temple leaves no one in doubt as to how he wants the activities to be undertaken. He monitors the temple activities very closely each day of the year and is keen to ensure that devotees get the best experience.
Later in the morning, soon after finalising the Prabhandham schedule for the Consecration event with the Adyapaka leader, the Jeer sits with this writer to share his thoughts on how he has gone about the consecration. A Kainkaryapara shows him a sample of a clock memento with photos of each of the Azhvaars on it and he is happy with the way it has come out. This is yet another instance of how he is thinking out of the box and coming up with interesting ideas keeping the promotion of tradition in mind (photo above at the top of the story).
No Achievement this...Its divine opportunity
When this writer asks if it is a big achievement under his leadership to perform the biggest and the first full-fledged consecration at this temple since 1912, he downplays coinage such as ‘achievement’ and says that he genuinely considers it as a ‘Nambi’ directed opportunity “I do not call this an achievement. It is a divine opportunity presented to me by Lord Nambi designating me as the one to oversee the restoration activities and to perform this first full-fledged consecration in almost 115years. I have to consider that a big blessing in my life and not an achievement.”
Fruitful Partnership with Venu Srinivasan
He is quick to point out the strong partnership he has
forged with Industrialist and TVS’ Chairman Venu Srinivasan and how that has been
one of the prime reasons and the driving factor for this transformation at
Thiru Kurungudi. “There have been fingers pointed at Venu Srinivasan in the
past by disgruntled persons but I told them all that in this now 15 years
association with him, there has not been a single occasion when he has
undertaken activities inside the temple on his own. He has great regard for the
Mutt and each of the restoration initiatives he has undertaken over the last
decade or so has been pre-approved by me as the Mutt Head. And in this current
exercise, every activity is being undertaken with the sole objective of
restoring this Divya Desam to its old grandeur. Both of us were very clear right
from the beginning that getting the traditional aspects back inside the temple
complex has to be at the forefront of all that with we do ahead of the long
pending consecration.”
Hurdles along the way
Soon after the Jeer took charge 15 plus years ago, he was keen for the restoration to take place in a traditional way and the consecration to be performed thereafter but he has had to face a number of roadblocks and hurdles along the way, each of which delayed the consecration. During the middle of the previous decade, a high court order restricted renovation works across all temples in Tamil Nadu for a period. And then there was an ongoing court case around the restoration of the Shiva Sannidhi that had been demolished 20 years ago.
The Jeer was not keen to perform consecration of the Perumal temple when the issue relating to the Shiva Sannidhi was pending in the court. In the previous full fledged consecration in early 20th century, the Shiva Sannidhi consecration preceded the one of Perumal. After the closure of the court case, the consecration of the restored Shiva Sannidhi took place in 2023 (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/07/thiru-kurungudi-pakkam-ninnaar-shiva.html)
அக்கும் புலியின் அதளும் உடையார்
அவர் ஒருவர் பக்கம் நிற்க நின்ற
பண்பர் ஊர்போலும்
தக்க மரத்தின் தாழ்சினையேறி
தாய் ;வாயில் கொக்கின் பிள்ளை
வெள்ளிர உண்ணும் குறுங்குடியே -Thiru Mangai Azhvaar
Venu's Kula Deivam and a Temple 'close to his heart'
This temple is the Kula Deivam for Venu Srinivasan and one that he holds close to his heart. While he had begun his temple restoration exercise in South TN with the Nava Tirupathi temples in the mid1990s, he was always waiting for the appropriate moment to start the large scale restoration of his Kula Deivam temple here at Thiru Kurungudi. As with many remote temples in Tamil Nadu, the Nambi temple in Kurungudi too had been in a state of disrepair at the turn of the century. The Jeer points out that even the 1981 consecration did not see any major restoration and had been done on a small scale.
Early on Thursday morning, Venu Srinivasan takes time out to share his memories with this writer of how he saw the temple when he took up the restoration after having gained experience from the Nava Tirupathi work in the last decade of the previous century. “The walls in the outer prakara were in a dilapidated state and with further delay would have fallen off. Thiru Mangai Azhvaar describes this temple as one with big trees but the coconut trees had almost become a thing of the past with most lying in damaged condition. It was sad to see the nandavanam resembling anything but that.”
If Srirangam is known for Vaikunta Ekadesi, Thiru Kurungkudi is said to be the home to the Vaishnava tradition of ‘Kaisika Ekadesi’ and Kaisika Natakam (drama)- worship of the Lord through dance, music and drama is a special event at the Thiru Kurungudi Nambi temple on the Kaisika Ekadesi day. Kaisika Puranam, which is a part of Varaaha Puraanam and comprises several hundred songs- all in small stanzas- shows Lord Narayana as the ultimate supreme force and is a case study in this modern money making world of keeping up one’s word at the cost of anything, even life.
Venu Srinivasan recalls walking around the temple complex and finding thick bushes. “The outer prakara was an ‘unpaved one’ in the past and sharp thorns would pierce your feet. The Kaisika Ekadasi mandapam too was in bad shape and one couldn’t even visit the Ramanuja Sannidhi. Not many in the new generation knew that there was a Moksha Sthalam (Thiruvarasu) of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar for that too was in a dilapidated state. The Bats that inhabited the temple in large numbers left a bad odour. Overall, it had been in a terrible state with most things unattended to.”
Thiru Mangai Azhvaar who built the huge walls of Srirangam and contributed in no small measure to the temple asked for Moksham from Srirangam Ranganatha and was directed to visit his ‘Southern house’. He is believed to have attained moksham from here (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2025/06/thiru-kurungudi-thiru-mangai-azhvaar.html)
Over the last decade or so, there has been a transformational change in the Nandavanam and the Vasantha Utsavam when Nambi makes his way there has become an annual event that attracts big crowd from across the state. The bats have disappeared into history.
The utsavams had become restricted to within the temple. Venu credits the Jeer’s personal initiative of reviving ‘Veethi Purappadu’. “The Jeer wanted all the utsavams to be restored to its old grandeur and all street processions to take place as it had been in the centuries gone by.”
Outer Prakara now as contrasted with over a decade ago
While he has anchored restorations in over 225 temples across South India, Venu Srinivasan feels particularly blessed about having been able to undertake large sized restoration works in the Nava Tirupathi temples as well as Nanguneri and now this consecration, in addition to the 'out of the blue' surprise opportunity at Srirangam.
Hanuman’s Leap to Lanka
About 8 kms from here on the Western Ghats is the Thirumalai Nambi temple from where Lord Hanuman is said to have taken the leap to Lanka.
Ramanuja’s early trip back to Thirukurungudi
Ramanuja made trips to other Divya Desams such as Thiruvattaru and Thiruvan Parisaram. At Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, when Ramanuja wanted to return back to Thiru Kurungudi, the Lord directed Garuda to carry him fast that same night and to Ramanuja’s surprise, he was on top of the Thirukurungudi rock at the blink of an eye. As a result of this event, it is believed that one does not find Garuda in the Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple.
Varna Kalaa Painting of Moolavar
One of the biggest efforts of the last 12 months has been to restore the moolavar idols in the three perumal sannidhis. When the Jeer wanted the best paintings of the Varna Kaala Moolavar idols and asked Venu Srinivasan on this, the action was immediate. Venu roped in ‘Varna Kalaa’ experts from Kerala. This writer got a sneak preview of the work going on on this front and devotees when they get to have darshan of the Moolavar in just over ten days are sure to be astonished with the quality of the painting that is sure to last a generation. An IT professional too has played a big role in this exercise and this section will feature a separate story on that.
Perarulalar Ramanuja Jeer continues to bless devotees on this morning with a couple of them presenting a good sized Sambhavanai towards the consecration event. There was a time till about a decade ago when the temple was short on funds that resulted in challenges even in the daily running of activities and taking care of the service personnel. The Jeer tells this writer that things have been turning around quite dramatically both in terms of devotee contribution as well as recovery of dues from the temple lands. “The entire restoration expense has been taken care of (by a single devotee), but when you are presenting this Sambhavanai with such devotion, I will accept it with both hands", the Jeer tells the two devotees.
When one of them says that this is not such a big amount, the Jeer points to her that even a Rupees Five contribution by the devotee of Nambi will be valued and he asks her to collect the receipt from the temple office.
Perumal Abaranam- Gold Rake
There is a delight in his eyes when the Jeer talks about the gold rake abaranam for the three Perumals. 24 Carat Gold Rake has been completed for Veetriruntha Perumal and the work will start for Ninra Nambi in a day or two, he says. There is also to be a gold door at the entrance of the Moolavar Sannidhi. The Paramapada Vaasal door too is being refurbished and will sport a traditional look by the 25th of this month.
Grand Yaaga Salai
In line with the traditions laid down in the Vaikanasa Agama, there will be 24 Kundams for 24 Vishnu Naamas, one Panchagni each for the three Perumals (5 Kundams each). Archakas are being roped in from Chennai for the Yaaga Salai.
Jeer says that Venu Srinivasan had wanted this to be the best consecration and agreed to take care of the entire expenses, both of the restoration exercise as well as the consecration event with the overall amount going well above Rs. 10 crores.
Thirumanjanam Koradu
Another interesting feature of the restoration exercise has been the making of the Thirumanjanam Koradu with exquisite sculptures and art work. Perumal will be seen inside the Thirumanjanam Koradu at the Yaaga Salai during the Consecration event.
Restoring damaged sculptures
At the Utsavam Alankara mandapam in front of the Eastern entrance, some of the historical centuries old sculptures had been in a broken state. These have been restored to its original shape using the latest technology. Such has been the quality of the restoration that the devotees would not be able to identify the ones that had been in a broken state previously, says the Jeer.
He is also happy that some of the historical wrongs have been corrected. Walls had been constructed around the Kaisika Ekadasi mandapam during the 1981 consecration. It is a mandapam where Perumal also comes for ten days during the Pagal Pathu utsavam. These have been removed and grill windows installed so there is a free air circulation as well as natural light entering the mandapam. There is now a traditional elegance to this place.
A look at the sketches dating back to 1912 and 1930 shows that the Era Pathu mandapam had moved from one place to another!!!
When the Atheenam came forward to take care of the Shiva Sannidhi consecration, the Jeer told them that there had been wrongs at this temple in the past and that he would manage the consecration of the restored Shiva Sannidhi, himself.
The roof of the main temple complex has also been beautifully done to prevent rain drops from pouring down. Nambi Bhattar who will anchor the consecration event arrives and presents a set of new Paligai Kinnam much to the delight of the Jeer.
Origination of Araiyar Sevai
The famed Araiyar Sevai, depiction of the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham in song and dance form, originated at Thiru Kurungkudi with Nambi watching Araiyar’s Abhinayam hiding behind a wall in Bashyam Street (South Mada Street).
Focus on Recoveries
The Jeer in the recent past has appointed a separate team for revenue administration and he believes that this will reap rich dividends into the future. Following the consecration, I have a message from Ninra Nambi that the recoveries will touch 100%. Venu has also been supporting us in the recovery exercise where ever possible. The salaries to Kainkaryaparas is now at a healthy level but there continues to be a shortage of service personnel to carry out the daily activities. The Jeer says that Venu has come forward to support any number of additions to the Kainkaryaparas to strengthen the team at the temple. He is hopeful that there will be more original inhabitants who will come back to this temple town to perform Kainkaryam like they had in the centuries gone by.
Lord's Southern House
As per the Vaishnavite Sampradayam, Thirukurungudi is said to be the ‘Southern House’ of Lord Vishnu. Hence, it is believed that ‘Vaikuntam’ (the ultimate destination for Vaishnavites) is in ‘calling distance’ from Thirukurungudi (Thiru Narayana Puram is said to be the ‘Mela Veedu’, Kanchipuram the ‘Keezha Veedu’ and Srirangam ‘Veedu’).
Leading to the consecration, there will Upanyasams by Kidambi Narayanan and Satajit, among others (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/09/kidambi-narayanan-upanyasakar.html).
Big Moment for the Jeer
In the decades gone by, the temple looked deserted with the priests sitting endlessly at the entrance waiting for the next devotee but that wait almost always proved elusive and they would head back home with very minimal thattu kaasu. The Physical infrastructure within the temple complex had remained in a dilapidated state for a long time with no proper restoration initiatives for over a century. The utsavams had lost its grandeur. Overall, the second half of the previous century saw a major downturn in the fortunes of this historic Divya Desam.
The consecration will take place between 9.20am and 10.30am on March 25 and Garuda Sevai street procession after 6pm that evening.
Panguni Garuda Sevai: https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2025/03/thiru-kurungudi-nambi-panguni-garuda.html
Venu Srinivasan 25 years temple restoration: https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/07/venu-srinivasan-historical-temples.html
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