The last of the Azhvaars provides darshan in a rare Sayana Kolam on the 6th day of the Avathara utsavam at Thirunagari Divya Desam
It is well past 1am on a rainy Saturday (Dec 7) night at Thirunagari, the only night in the year when Thiru Mangai Azhvaar provides darshan in a special Thiru Kolam. The diminutive and the tireless 50 year old Padmanabhan Bhattachar (Paddu to those in the temple circles) has had a long day and is now in the process of unveiling the once in a year Thiru Kolam to the 50 odd devotees who have stayed back to witness this rare event in a Divya Desam. It is the only day in the year when Thiru Mangai Azhvaar, who praised Thiru Kudanthai in such glorious verses in the Thiru Ezhu Kootrirukai, provides darshan in a Sayana Kolam similar to the one seen at the Aaravamudhan Divya Desam.
And as the screen opened just around 1.30 am, devotees stood awe-stuck watching Thiru Mangai Azhvaar in the Sayana Kolam while his beloved stood at his feet to serve him. As the devotees left the temple after being served hot Kesari as part of the Sayana Sevai, their talks centered on this rare posture of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar, that is displayed every year as part of the 6th day celebrations of his Avathara Utsavam at Thirunagari (http://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/01/thiruvali-thirunagari-divya-desam.html).
The scene earlier in the day left one surprised. For a remote Divya Desam with minimal public transport facilities, the temple was seen packed with Prabhandham members reciting the Perumal Thirumozhi and the sixth canto of Periya Thirumozhi of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. A few from Thiruvallikeni Divya Desam made a big difference with a devotional rendering of the sacred verses as did the several budding boys seen in a traditional attire who had made their way from Srirangam Patshala for the Utsavam.
Badri Narayana Bhattar, the lead priest at Kazhi Cheeram Vinnagaram Divya Desam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2008/05/kaazhicheeraama-vinnagaram.html) was at Thirunagari to support the decoration of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Kumudavalli Nachiyar ahead of the evening procession on the Elephant Vahanam. Even as the rain belted down in buckets on the 6thevening, Padmanabhan Bhattar along with his team were focusing on the minute details of the alankaram. In a happy development, the next gen of Bhattars too has been an integral part of this Utsavam. 19 year old Gokul, the son of Padmanabhan Bhattachar and a student at Sastra Engineering College too was involved in the decoration of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar supporting his father through the Utsavam.
After two hours, the screen finally opened up for the devotees just after 8pm with Thiru Mangai Azhvaar seen in a grand princely attire, flanked by Kumudavalli Nachiyar. Also seen atop the elephant was Sinthanaikiniyaan. By 9 pm, well over a hundred devotees had gathered at the mandapam. And for the next half hour, the Ghosti Satru Murai took devotees back in time to memories of the period when this Divya Desam reverberated with devotional rendering of the Divya Prabhandham.
The Sri Patham too gathered in big numbers (over 30 of them) for this difficult elephant vahana procession. Soon after 10pm, the rains gathered speed again and unfortunately the procession lasted only till the end of the Sannidhi street. Following the commencement of the Divya Prabhandham verses, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Kumudavalli Nachiyar rushed back to the temple.
Princely Attire to Kalyana Thiru Kolam
The sixth evening of the Thiru Mangai Azhvaar utsavam is one of three different alankarams. Shortly after 11pm, Padmanabhan Bhattar and his team got down to the second alankaram of the evening – from the princely attire seen earlier in the evening, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar now moved into a wedding Thiru Kolam. An hour later and just after midnight, he along with Kumudavalli Nachiyar made their way to the Eastern Raja Gopuram for the ‘exchange of garlands’.
Thiru Mangai Azhvaar in Sayana Kolam
Soon it was time for the most eagerly awaited event of the 6th day. After the Sripatham moved the couple into the Kannadi Arai opposite the Evarivenchilayaan Sannidhi, Padmanabhan Bhattar and his team got down to the final and the most exciting alankaram of the evening. The events of this long day came to an end just before 2am when the devotees went to the Kannadi Arai for a glimpse of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar in a handsome Sayana Kolam similar to the posture of Lord Aaravamudhan of Thiru Kudanthai Divya Desam, with Kumudavalli Nachiyar seen standing and serving him at his feet. It is the only Divya Desam and this sixth day the only occasion when Thiru Mangai Azhvaar provides darshan in a Sayana Kolam.
While the devotees made their way home, there was still an hour of work left for Padmanabhan Bhattachar for he had to remove the latest alankaram and get Thiru Mangai Azhvaar ready for the early morning decoration on the 7th day. It was almost 3am when he finally left the temple for a well earned rest after almost 12 hours of non stop work, such is the life of a priest during big utsavams in remote temples.
His father Venkatesan Bhattar, now 88, had been at the temple for many decades and when it was time for him to retire, officially, Padmanabhan Bhattar took over 25 years ago in 1995 at a monthly salary of just Rs. 360/-. Those early days at this temple were one of the worst for Divya Desams in Thiru Nangur. While some sort of revival was beginning to happen in many other Divya Desams, Thiruvali Thirunagari was at least a decade behind. Even the few devotees that visited the other Divya Desams at that time did not turn up here for there were no public transport facilities in those days and this was far too remote to access. The roads were terrible and one could not reach this temple without the help of a guide. Through most of the days, he would just sit at the eastern entrance looking for that elusive devotee so he could share the greatness of this region as praised by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. In 2000, he also took charge as an Archaka at Thiruvali Divya Desam ( that remanis a Trustee run temple to this day) at a monthly salary of Rs. 200.
Financially Challenging Days in the 70s and 80s
Throughout his childhood in the 1970s and 80s, things were so challenging, financially, that his mother would wait for his father to bring the temple thaligai (boiled rice or pongal) after the morning pooja and it was only then and with whatever quantity he brought from the temple that she would feed the entire family. It was a very difficult phase for the family with very little salary from the temple and an almost nonexistent Thattu Kaasu.
In the 25 years of his service, Padmanabhan Bhattar’s salary at Thirunagari temple has risen from Rs. 360 to Rs. 3500, an amount that is just not enough to sustain a reasonable life with cost of living having mounted in the last two decades. This utsavam takes a big toll on him for there is very little rest on most days. Unmindful of the physical and financial challenges, he is easily the most active service personnel at the temple.
Devotional Commitment to serve Thiru Mangai Azhvaar
Recently an offer came his way to support a Samprokshanam in another temple that would have made him richer by atleast Rs. 20000 for a 4 day service which is several times his official salary for the month from the Thirunagari temple. In the two and a half decades he has been at Thiruvali-Thirunagari, he has let go several such revenue earning opportunities, opting instead to serve Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Kalyana Ranganatha at Thirunagari and Lord Narasimha at Thiruvali.
If priests such as Padmanabhan Bhattar had chosen to consistently opt for more lucrative financial opportunities in other temples, Divya Desams such as Thiruvali Thirunagari may have struggled to survive those testing phases in history. On this sixth day of the Thiru Mangai Azhvaar avathara utsavam, Padmanabhan Bhattar spent almost 12 hours non stop shuttling between the mandapas and the moolavar sannidhi straddling work between alankaram for the Azhvaar and the daily routine pooja service at the temple.
There was no one to even enquire if he had had a meal on this long tiring day. Paddu Bhattar has survived these 25 years in such a remote temple simply through his devotional commitment to the Lord and Azhvaar unmindful of the very low salary that he has been paid.
On non utsavam days he shuttles on his old TVS XL bike between Thiruvali and Thirunagari to perform daily service at both these temples jointly considered as one Divya Desam. It is through the decades of tireless efforts of bhattars such as Padmanabhan Bhattar that devotees are now able to have darshan in such remote locations. Else, these temples may have long passed into the history books.