Jawahar Bhattar Thiru Vekka

58 year old Kannan Srinivasan Bhattar (Jawahar Bhattar), a Pancharatra Agama Archakar who once served in Divya Desams such as Thenthiruperai, Srivaikuntam and Koviladi Appakudathan has joined the the Sonna Vannam Seitha Perumal Thiru Vekka Divya Desam in Kanchipuram today on Tamil New Year’s day. He was previously at Mudikondan Kothandaramar temple.

In March 2019, this section had written about the renovation activities that were taking place att this Divya Desam praised by NamAzhvaar,Thirumazhisai Azhvaar, Poigai Azhvaar, Peyazhvaar and Thirumangai Azhvaar.

Thirumazhisai Azhwar came here and performed service to Lord Yathokthagaari with the assistance of his disciple Kanikannan. When the ruler ordered Kanikannan out of the kingdom for failing to sing praise of him, Thirumazhisai Azhwar too followed suit taking along with him the Lord of Thiru Vekka plunging the whole place into darkness.  Realising his folly, the king apologised and requested them to return to Kanchi. As an indication of his departure from the temple and his subsequent return, the Lord is said to have slept in the opposite direction. This Maaru Sayanam of the Lord sleeping from South to North is a special feature of this Divya Desam. As the Lord acceded to the request of Thirumazhisai Azhwar, he came to be called as ‘Sonna Vannam Seitha Perumal’.

This episode of the Lord leaving the temple along with Thirumazhisai Azhwar is enacted every year on Thai Magam on the occasion of Thirumazhisai Azhwar’s birthday with a trip to the Palar. Later in the day, the garland worn by Thirumazhisai Azhwar at Thiru Vekka is sent to his avathara sthalam at Thirumazhisai for the evening festivities at the Jagannatha Perumal temple there.

Repair works had been undertaken at the Sonna Vannam Seitha Perumal Divya Desam in 2018-19 at a cost of around Rs. 50Lakhs. The roof of the Perumal Sannidhi complex has been completely revamped using 12000 new tiles to prevent water leaks.  A new electrification system had also been put in place as part of the renovation exercise. For the first time, new LED lights were installed to illuminate the pathway around the prakara.

At that time, the trustee had asked this writer to suggest names of any archakas who would be interested to take up service at that Divya Desam. On the suggestion of this writer, the trustees had met with Jawahar Bhattar in 2019 but the decision had been kept on hold and things did not progress.

Interestingly, it was Therazhundur’s Vasan Bhattar, who had performed the Samprokshanam at the Sonna Vannam Seitha Perumal Divya Desam in 2019, who  spoke to the authorities at Mudikondan to secure archaka service for Jawahar Bhattar at the Kothandaramar temple. After having performed service there for over a year, Jawahar Bhattar has today joined as the archaka at  Thiru Vekka Divya Desam in Kanchipuram.

Jawahar Bhattar, who belongs to the Varam Tharum Periya Perumal Bhattar clan that performed service at the Kanchipuram Varadaraja Perumal Temple, began his temple association as a young boy in the 1980s at the Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Veeravanallur near Athalanallur (Attalanallur) supporting his grandfather at the temple. It was during that period that the young Jawahar Bhattar was initiated into Pancharatra Agama by the revered Mahara Bhooshana Bhattar at Veeravanallur (Veeravanallur), one who was recognised across the Pancharatra temples as one of the  best scholars in Shri Pancharatra Agama and who was the Archakar at Thenthiruperai as well as at Srinivasa Temple in Kilakkulam, Veeravanallur.

Decades later, Jawahar Bhattar further strengthened his knowledge in Pancharatra Agama by tutoring under Periya Thiruvadi Bhattar, the heredity Archakar of both Kallarpiran temple, Srivaikuntam  Srivaikuntam) and Adhi Nathar Temple, Azhvaar Thirunagari and another great Pancharatra Scholar, who was conferred the title of 'Pancharatra Agama Rathnagaram'.

In the late 1990s, he performed archaka service at Makara Nedun Kuzhai Kathan temple at Thenthiruperai (Thenthiruperai) and at the Kallarpiran Temple at Sri Vaikuntam Divya Desam. It was a period when Venu Srinivasan had just begun restoring the then dilapidated Nava Tirupathi temples (Errettai Tirupathi).

He has always been a stickler for the traditional way of performing aradhana at the temple, not for him the hurry. This lack of 'adjustment' to the devotees' hurried needs at temples has made him incur the wrath of devotees and authorities alike, for these days one is expected to 'toe' the current trend. Jawahar Bhattar is not one such.

He had moved on to the Appakudathan Divya Desam in Koviladi. His years there were a devotional treat for the devotees who visited the temple in that period. His devotional rendering of the verses relating to Thiruper Nagar, his explanation of the temple legend and of course the 'appam' every evening kept one devotionally connected to that Divya Desam (Koviladi).

He then performed service at the Rama Temple in Thenthiruperai and subsequently at the popular Lodhi Road Rama Temple in Delhi, where he was also involved in the installation of an idol of Kulasekara Azhvaar.

A year and half after he first met with the Trustee of Thiru Vekka Desam, Jawahar Bhattar has been offered the archaka service and has joined the historical Divya Desam on this first day of the new year. This section wishes Jawahar Bhattar a long stint at this Divya Desam, his fifth Divya Desam in his long career as an archaka..