Next Gen takes over at Desikar Sannidhi
28 year old K Sudarshan has been appointed as the new archaka of the Vedantha Desikar Sannidhi at the Sarangapani Koil Divya Desam in Thiru Kudanthai
This position had remained vacant for three years following the death of Sounder Desikachariar who had performed service at the Sannidhi for three decades
At a time when the next gen Vaishnavites are moving away from temple service into the corporate world, the taking up, last month, of archaka service by the young K Sudarshan at the Vedantha Desikar Sannidhi of the Sarangapani Koil Divya Desam is a positive development.
In June 2017, this section had featured a story on the then 84 year old Sounder Desikachariar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/06/sarangapani-koil-thiru-kudanthai.html) who had been performing Thiru Aradhana at the Vedantha Desikar Sannidhi at the Eastern Entrance of the Sarangapani temple for three decades and kept the tradition going at a time when new and younger archakas were difficult to find in non metros. A frail figure, Sounder Desikachariyar was devotionally committed to Aravamudhan of Thiru Kudanthai for almost the entire period of his life. Till the very end (he passed away later that year), he was at the Sannidh every morning overcoming the challenges relating to old age.
Soon after his passing away, the position had become vacant and the HR & CE refused to offer formal appointment to an archaka at the Sannidhi.
Veda Parayanam at Sarangapani Koil
K Sudarshan, who hails from Aduthurai and whose father Kasturi Rangan continues to serve as a Kanakkupillai at the Thiru Koodalur Jagathrakshagan Perumal Divya Desam, underwent Vedic Education for 10 years at the Madurantakam Patshala till 2013. He returned to Kumbakonam to perform Aradhanam at the Ahobila Mutt and Andavan Ashram for 4years (2 years each). He was also part of the Veda Parayanam members at the Sarangapani temple for a couple of years presenting the Vedas during all the utsavams. Soon after the death of Sounder Desikachariar he began performing aradhanam at the Desikar Sannidhi and had been continuing the ‘informal’ service for two years.
Finally, following the referrel by R Ramanuja Patrachar, Sudarshan, aged 28, was appointed last month by the HR & CE as the official archaka at the Vedantha Desikar Sannidhi over three years after the passing away of Sounder Desikachariar. With severe shortage of service personnel at the temple, he also now doubles up as the Sannidhi Paricharkar each day of the year!!!
Every Shravanam there is a Thirumanjanam and an Ul Purapadu of Swami Desikar at the Sarangapani Temple. The annual Brahmotsavam for Vedantha Desikar starts on the Shravanam day in Puratasi and goes on for 10 days with Pallakku Procession in the morning and a Vahana Procession in the evening. This is followed by a five day Oonjal Utsavam.
The appointment of a devotionally inclined Sudarshan is a welcome development and given his young age one can look forward to him performing aradhanam at the Desikar Sannidhi in the coming decades.