Kapisthalam Seshadri Bhattar

Seshadri Bhattar was one of the well respected priests in the region even at that young age in the 1960s for he had learned the Vedas and Agamas for a decade from 1949 from the revered Oothukadu Sankara Ganapadigal at the renowned centuries old Raja Patshala in Kumbakonam.  He wanted to become a teacher but the sudden death of his father meant that the responsibility of the temple service came to him at a very young age.

In the 1960s, Kapisthalam too was vibrant with 21 traditional families including one Saivite and Rayar family, in the Agraharam. With the presence of Adyapakas, Divya Prabhandham Ghosti was an everyday feature at the temple. All the residents in the agraharam would gather at the temple in large numbers for Nithyanusanthanam in the evening that was followed by the presentation of Sundal to the Lord.

That decade, the temple had 11 service personnel including Mei Kaavalar, the garland maker and paricharakars, in addition to four who played the sacred musical instruments. For 15 years, Seshadri lived a financially challenging life. He would receive a maximum of one anna a day and it was with that, that he ran the family. His elder brothers found their way into life outside of temple service as did his younger brother leaving him as the only one in the family continuing the hereditary service. In the 1960s, Seshadri Bhattar also ran a Patshala in Kapisthalam teaching over 20 students. Most of his students have done financially well in their lives but very few have come to serve their Guru or help him financially in his tough times.

In those initial decades at Kapisthalam, he resided in what is now the Vahana Mandapam at the Eastern entrance to the temple, a 200 sq ft room. With support from the residents of Umayalapuram, he built the small home opposite the Gajendra Varadar temple which is where he has been residing for decades. It was only after the Samprokshanam in 2007 that Seshadri Bhattar’s salary was increased from Rs. 16 that he had been receiving for 45 years to Rs. 500 per month.

In September 1976, his uncle who had been performing service at the Rajagopalan Temple in Umayalpuram, a few kms East of Kapisthalam went in pursuit of overseas opportunities and asked Seshadri to perform ‘two time’ aradhana at the temple. Umayalpuram was a vibrant location in those decades with 60 traditional families residing in the agraharam. All the residents loved Seshadri Bhattar for his devotion to the Lord. He would cycle his way between Kapisthalam and Umayalpuram each day. He was paid a monthly salary of Rs. 150 for his service there, which came as a welcome addition, financially.

His son was born partially (or at least that’s what Seshadri Bhattar thought) deaf and dumb in 1981. Through that entire decade, he spent his entire earnings and more on the medical treatment for his son including taking him to JIPMER but nothing progressed. There were different versions and solutions that gave Seshadri Bhattar hope but his son has remained speechless for almost four decades now, though the father has kept the verbal communication going from his side. And over time, his son began to understand the messages from his father, especially those relating to temple activities.

There has been no Brahmotsavam at the temple for over a century, though when he joined service he found many of the Vahanas. But even during the time his grandfather served at the temple, there had been no Brahmotsavam.

The Lord provides Garuda Sevai darshan on Akshaya Trithi. In the 1960s, the Gajendra Moksham episode used to be enacted in a grand way at the tank South of the temple. But with water drying up and the tank currently in a poor state, this has become a simple event. Thirumanjanam on Puratasi Saturday and Ramaa Mani Thayar purapdu on Aadi and Thai Fridays have been regular features at the temple. But most of the grand festivals have come to nought in recent decades with almost the entire agraharam residents moving away to cities seeking greener pastures. In the last decade or so, Navarathri has been celebrated in a grand way with participation from the local community.

Way back in 1963, when he was just 21 years old, Thiru Kudanthai Andavan, the then Jeeyar of Andavan Ashram conferred the title of ‘Mantra Mani for having rendered Vishnu Homam for 20 hours nonstop in Kumbakonam without a water or a toilet break. But financial rewards have eluded Seshadri Bhattar all through his life.

Unlike many other priests in the region, Seshadri Bhattar has not been in the thick of action performing Samprokshanams in other Divya Desams/ Temples, an activity that has been financially lucrative. Given the physical state of his son and being stuck all alone at the Kapisthalam temple, he has rarely participated in Samprokshanam activities in other temples. Thus for a major part of his life, he has had to manage with the two digit salary at the Kapisthalam temple and the slightly better remuneration at the Umayalpuram temple. As decades passed, the service personnel too reduced at the Kapisthalam Divya Desam and for a number of years he has now been all alone at the temple without any support, despite this being in the hands of the financially rich Moopanar family.

In the last few years, the devotee numbers has been on the rise and so has the Thattu Kaasu but this is not in line with increased cost of living. 

Seshadri Bhattar is truly a one of his kind having spent the last six decades at the Kapisthalam Divya Desam, almost entirely at a miniscule salary of Rs. 16. He has never complained in his life about the financial challenges and has served the Lord with devotion every day for he has largely remained contented with the way of life that God has provided him. His son has been very dear to him and he has spent the last four decades trying to give him as much happiness as possible communicating to him in whatever he could. With the passing of every decade, his son has improved and is now able to help devotees with darshan.

As a security for his son, Seshadri Bhattar is looking to buy a couple of cows that can in the future support his son financially. But for the moment he does not have the financial wherewithal to buy one. He is hopeful that one day some devotee will help him run a Go-Shala in Kapisthalam.