A strong Damodara Krishnan Gopuram will be reopened next month
The Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam is the first Perumal Koil that Sivaram Kumar has served as a JC of the HRCE. This month he completes a year at the temple and is fresh on the back of his second serthi sevai that he has witnessed. Just ahead of his taking charge, this section had featured a story on what lay in store for the Srirangam temple under his leadership (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2025/03/srirangam-temple-new-jc-sivaram-kumar.html).
பேரானை, குறுங்குடி எம் பெருமானை
திருதண்கால் ஊரானை, கரமபனுர் உத்தமனை
முத்து இலங்கு கார் ஆர் திண் கடல் ஏழும்
மலை ஏழ்இவ் உலகு ஏழ் உண்டு
ஆராது என்று இருந்தாளைக்
கண்டது தென் அரங்கத்தே
Earlier, this section had featured two stories in 2023/24 as to how he took bold developmental initiatives at the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram. In fact he was the one who turned around the cleanliness of the temple town ahead of the visit of the PM. The buzz had gone around after the PM’s visit on the cleanliness drive that an IAS officer wanted to visit the temple to see if this was indeed true for Rameswaram is known for devotees and visitors throwing garbage all around that has been for long a nightmare for the temple authorities (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/05/dhanushkodi-rama-temple-shiva-lingam.html).
But when he was posted back to Srirangam (he had earlier served for a couple of months prior to this transfer to Rameswaram), he was apprehensive given the huge challenges that the temple authorities had been facing in the past. In a way he was a reluctant entrant to the temple taking charge from Mariappan who moved to the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai. Nevertheless, he was confident that he would discharge his duty with sincerity in the same way that he had in the past in other temples.
For a start, he talks about the almost unbearable summer heat. "At Rameshwaram, the sea breeze would set in and it was not as bad as here" JC Sivaram Kumar tells this writer on a hot Friday in April.
ஏனாகி உலகிடந்து அன்று இருநிலனும் பெரு விசும்பும்
தானாய பெருமானை தன்னடியார் மனத்தென்றும்
தேனாகி அமுதாகித் திகழ்ந்தானை
மகிழ்ந்தொருகால்
ஆனாயன் ஆனானை கண்டது தென் அரங்கத்தே
Panguni Utsavam 2025
His first experience of the Panguni Brahmotsavam at the Ranganathaswamy temple was magical “I found that the processes had been laid out centuries ago and those were being followed almost by all the Kainkaryaparas. Interestingly, I found local devotees coming back multiple times each day for darshan, unlike the other temples where I had served. They also accompanied Perumal through the street procession, another feature that I had not seen at the Ramanathaswamy temple.”
He found devotee donors coming forward to support the utsavam in terms of providing fans, air coolers and water bottles for it was peak summer at that time. The Serthi Sevai night too went almost as per plan in 2025 and overall it had been a new and enjoyable experience for JC Sivaram Kumar.
In the year gone by, a lot of his focus has been on recoveries and he has been able to secure back a lot of the lands belonging to the temple. And he continues to focus on this aspect and is confident that into the near future, a lot more temple lands will be secured back for the temple with him taking proactive steps on this front.
Transformational system on Vaikunta Ekadasi day
The Adyayana Utsavam was another big milestone in his career as a HRCE chief heading a temple. For the first time, he introduced a RFID Hologram based entry system for devotees visiting during the Vaikunta Ekadasi day. This process ensured that no devotee could enter the temple twice on the day as the RFID system tracked the entry and exit of devotees.
But he was shocked to note that there were local devotees who tried to bypass even this so called secure system. “There were those who tried to photocopy the entry pass without knowing that the RFID system would not permit a photocopied hologram based ticket and over 20 of them were caught and handed to the police for trespassing” JC Sivaram Kumar told this writer on how the introduction of RFID during the Vaikunta Ekadasi utsavam turned to be foolproof.
Overall, there was appreciation this year of the crowd management services during this utsavam with devotees by and large being happy with the way the Vaikunta Ekadasi day went in terms of them having darshan.
Non stop Petitions and Notices
One thing that has struck him about the Ranganathaswamy temple over the last 12 months has been the way that notices and petitions have been sent to him quite recklessly on issues within the temple. “There is a God watching over you from a few yards away and yet I have received petitions that have left me wondering about the intent of the petitioners and their Bhakthi to Ranganathaswamy” says Sivaram Kumar.
A much delayed Chariot Procession - Panguni 2026
Into the final week of March, he experienced his second Panguni Utsavam at this legendary Perumal Koil. While a large part of the utsavam went as per plan including crowd management, an undue delay on the Serthi Sevai night leading to a late departure on the morning of April 1 to the Chariot left him fuming. Fingers were pointed at different people on this delay leaving Sivaram Kumar wondering as to the Bhakthi of the Kainkaryaparas as to why someone would be a reason to delay the programme and the event schedule.
The Chariot procession starting after 10am and returning past 2pm did not leave him pleased. But he has put that behind and is looking into the year ahead.
ஆறாத அருள் அமுதம் பொதிந்த கோயில்
அம்புயத்தோன் அயோத்தி மன்னற்கு அளித்த கோயில்
தொலாத தனிவீரன் தொழுத கோயில்
துணையான வீடணற்கு துணையாம் கோயில்
சேராத பயன் எல்லாம் சேர்க்கும் கோயில்
செழுமறையின் முதல் எழுத்து சேர்ந்த கோயில்
தீராத வினை அனைத்தும் தீர்க்கும் கோயில்
திருவரங்கம் எனும் கோயில் தானே
Reopening East Adayavalanjan Gopuram
The restoration work at the Damadora Krishnan Gopuram that has remained shut for a few years now is nearing completion. JC Sivaram Kumar is happy with the way the restoration exercise has gone “The restored Gopuram will now be so strong that it will last another several hundred years such has been the quality of work with Ilaippu wood even being brought from Burma. I expect the Gopuram to be reopened to traffic next month.”
That will be great news for the devotees from the East of Srirangam who have been put to great discomfort over the last few years. Also, those heading to Kaattu Azhagiya Singar Koil, East of the Srirangam Railway station will also find the reopening as a big positive for the passage from the Vellai Gopuram to Singar Koil will now be a straight route like it had been for centuries without the diversion that devotees have experienced in the recent past.
Sivaram Kumar also has words of praise for devotee donor VS Jayabal in the way he has gone about the construction of the new Raja Gopuram on the Northern side of the Pundarikaksha temple in Thiru Vellarai and the beautiful huge Nandavanam that has come at that Divya Desam.
JC Sivaram Kumar is also keen on taking action against the violations relating to certain construction of tall buildings around the temple complex. He also has devotional views on the repeated 'notices and petitions' that reach his table almost every other day and he has a solution on offer to these. But that will be for another day and another story.
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