Sempon Sei Koil Ramani Deekshithar

Having lost his father aged five, Ramani Deekshithar fought through poverty in the 1950s and 60s to rise to manage a school for 35years as its Head Master. For almost seven decades he has been associated with the Thiru Mangai Azhvaar praised Sempon Arangar Divya Desam in Thiru Nangur, supporting the then Bhattar for almost 40years and then managing the temple all alone for the last 26years as an archaka. Despite a financially challenged childhood, he did not seek to leave Thiru Nangur and has lived in the Sannidhi Street for seven decades opposite Sempon Sei Koil.  Here’s the story.

Ramani Deekshithar’s father Ramaswamy Deekshithar belonged to Raja Mannargudi and was a hereditary archaka at the Raja Gopalaswamy temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2007/05/mannargudi-rajagopalaswamy-temple.html) with about 20days service annually. After his wedding, Ramaswamy Deekshithar was invited by the Sthalathars of  Thiru Nangur to take care of three Divya Desams in this region  “My amma was the only daughter of my grandmother, who had lost her husband. My grandmother too invited my appa to move to Thiru Nangur about 90years ago so he could perform round the year archaka service here."

He nodded to this invitation and thus the family settled down in Thiru Nangur around 1930. Two other long time resident families too had left made Mannargudi in the first half of the 20th Century. S Venkatesan, who was struck by Polio in his childhood went on to become the CFO of Sundaram Finance and served the NBFC for four decades (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/09/venkatesan-s-sundaram-finance.html). R Madhavan's forefathers belong to Raja Mannargudi and they moved out of the temple town in the early part of the 20th Century. With passion for cricket, Madhavan played for TN in the Ranji Trophy in the 1980s and was on the verge of playing for India end of 1984 after a strong performance that year including a century against David Gower's England (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/10/r-madhavan-tn-cricketer-1980s.html).

For over two decades, Ramaswamy Deekshithar performed archaka service at three Divya Desams in Thiru Nangur – Narayana Perumal, Kavalambadi and Thiru Mani Koodam. He would go to Raja Mannargudi whenever his days in the year came up at that temple.

The sudden and unexpected death of Ramaswamy Deekshithar at a young age sent shock waves in the family. Ramani Deekshithar recalls that week in 1954 “He was unwell for a couple of days. There were no medical facilities in the region. He was in bed for two days and we expected him to recover but he passed away without any medical treatment and quite unexpectedly.”

Ramani Deekshithar’s elder brother was already married at that time and had moved away to the in-law’s location after his wedding. The untimely death of his father meant Ramani Deekshithar’s childhood was spent in poverty in Thiru Nangur. Through the first three decades of his life, he lived in an old fashioned small ‘Ottu Veedu’ “My amma’s amma had a piece of land in Thiru Nangur and it was income from that land that helped us survive the financially challenging phase in the 1950s and 60s. My three sisters (a fourth and his elder brother had married while his father was alive), my amma and Patti all lived together in the hut.”

Ramani Deekshithar did his early schooling at Nangur Elementary School and then moved to Nangur Government School for his high school education. While his father had served three Divya Desams at the same time for over two decades, the above three temples were handed over to another Bhattar after his death as Ramani Deekshithar was too young to manage a temple. 

His mother’s uncle, Lakshmana Bhattar had taken charge at Sempon Sei Koil in 1945. In the late 1950s and through the 60s, Ramani Deekshithar would support him in the daily activities at the temple before and after his school hours. During his childhood, Ramani Deekshithar remembers the Sempon Arangar temple being in a dilapidated state with falling roof and walls. At Sempon Sei Koil, there were no vahanas and processions on select occasions would be of Lord being carried on simple pallakkus. He recalls the special Thaligai at Narayana Perumal Koil as a special attraction. The Brahmotsavam there was an important occasion for people in this region and everyone would gather there for the processions.

Following this, there would not be another consecration for another 38years.

He recalls the entire Nangur having just one house of Srinivasa Mudaliar with first floor construction till the 1970s. “While the agraharam comprised of Iyengars, the Nangur region was dominated by Mudaliars with 300 of them living in and around Nangur.”

After completing his SSLC, Ramani Deekshithar went to the Teachers Training College in Thanjavur for two years. “While there was no term fee to be paid, I had to shell out Rs. 85 every month as hostel fees. As we were financially challenged, my amma took loans and paid the hostel fees. I received a monthly stipend of Rs. 18 which I spent on my food and coffee.”

After having worked in the Panchayat Board for a couple of years, he was roped in as the Head Master of the Government aided school in Neppathur in 1975 and was assigned the task of managing the entire affairs of the school. “In those days, only Grade Two teacher could become a Head Master. Since I had completed SSLC and also secured the teachers training degree, I was appointed as the HM. I taught all the subjects to class IV and V students and served there for over three decades."

He spent a lot time in those early decades with the renowned VS Lakshmana Deekshithar of Parthanpalli Divya Desam(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/10/parthanpalli-nangur-divya-desam.html). It was from him that he learnt the Pooja Kramas. Ramani Deekshithar recalls Lakshmana Deekshithar telling him several decades ago of the scenario that existed at these Divya Desams in the 1940s and 50s“There were no visiting devotees to the Parthanpalli Divya Desam. Lakshmana Deekshithar would shut the gate of the temple and sit in front of his house at the end of the Sannidhi Street waiting for an outstation devotee that proved elusive most of the time. But when a devotee family finally turned up in a car, he would run to the temple to open the door. After performing pooja in all the Sannidhis, he would receive a Sambhavanai of 25paise.”

The scenario was no different at Sempon Sei Koil in those decades. Devotees were elusive and even when they turned up at infrequent intervals the sambhavanai was so minimal that it would be just enough to take care of the expenses of the large family for just a few days. 

From the early 1970s, through till 1995, he continued to support his grand uncle Lakshmana Bhattar at the Sempon Sei Koil in all the daily activities.

In addition to his discharging his duties at the school, Ramani Deekshithar was also actively involved in the conduct of the Utsavams including the celebrations on the Vaikunta Ekadasi day. Outside of this, the key events at the temple, whose Lord Thiru Mangai Azhvaar praises as Per Arulaalan, have been the Thirumanjanam on Swathi every month, a procession on Tamil New Year day, the Margazhi Utsavam and the 11 Garuda Sevai on Thai Amavasai(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/03/thiru-nangur-11-garuda-sevai.html).

With old age issues affecting his health, Lakshmana Bhattar handed over the baton completely to Ramani Deekshithar in 1995 and he has been taking care of the temple all alone since then for the last 26years. Under the one pooja a day scheme, the HR&CE pays Rs. 700 every month!!!

 

It was at the turn of the century that things turned positive for the Divya Desam thanks to the efforts of Muralidhara Swamigal who organised Sambhavanai for the priest as well as took care of the expenses of the temple.  In recent years, a devotee from Coimbatore has organized for the construction of all the vahanas. With the raising of a flag post, Brahmotsavam has come to be organised every year in Aipasi over the last four years. The belief here is that if one offers sincere prayers to Sempon Arangar, one would recover his lost wealth and this too has brought in crowds to this temple.

In the last decade or so, Ramani Deekshithar says that the devotee crowd has increase dramatically from the times he experienced in the late 1950s. Big improvements have been taking place at this temple with devotees offering Kreedam and Kavachams for the Lord.  Thiru Mangai Azhvaar who described Sempon Sei Koil as being at the heart of Thiru Nangur praises the Lord as one is seen adorned with glittering Kreedam.

Ramani Deekshithar has lived almost the entire seven decades of his life on the Sannidhi Street opposite the Sempon Arangar Temple. The financial challenges from his childhood and the poverty stricken life with no devotees at the temple and with no money to even fund his basic education now seem like a distant memory for Ramani Deekshithar. Through sheer hard work and under the care of his grandmother and amma, Ramani Deekshithar grew to become the Head Master of a school in Nangur while at the same time being associated closely with Divya Desam service. For a long time, he also doubled up as the cook at the Madapalli. 

Life has turned around for him in the last two decades. In 2005, he received an award from the TN Government for long time outstanding service in the education space as a high quality teacher in a remote town. He now leads a secure life with monthly pension having retired from a Government School. He has Ramanujam to assist him in making garlands and to unofficially perform the role of a Mei Kavalar at the temple.

Thiru Nangur Divya Desams: https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2008/05/thiru-nangur-divya-desams.html