Tiruvarur Thyagaraja Somaskanda Gurukal

The Thyagaraja Temple in Tiruvarur is the foremost among the Paadal Petra Sthalams praised by the four Saivite Saint Poets. The temple has 9 huge Gopurams, 5 Prakaras, 108 Lingams and 54 Vimanas.  The temple tank and the temple chariot are both huge and special features at the temple. It was here at this temple that the famous Saint Poet Sundarar got his right eye (He got his left eye at Kanchipuram). There were 56 festivals celebrated every year in a grand manner during the rule of the Chozhas.  There was a long agraharam on the North and South Mada Vilagams with several hundreds of traditionalists residing here. 

During the rule of Parakesari (Vikrama) Chozha, a mandapa was created at the temple where in food was distributed to the needy and to the travelling devotees. It was during his rule that dance arangetram was initiated in the month of Chitrai every year for young talented dancers at the Devasiriyin Mandapa and he awarded them a certificate as proof of the event. Also, during this period, the respected and senior residents of Thiruvarur congregated and made donations for ghee that was to be used to light the lamp for the Lord every day. He also granted lands for construction of lakes for cultivation purposes ahead of the harvest season.

That was a 1000years ago. 

Fast forward into the 1960s and 70s - The priests and the service personnel at this temple did not find the going easy. The financial challenges led many of the service personnel including the priests to explore other lucrative opportunities elsewhere including in overseas temples. 

70 year old Ganesan Gurukal and his son have been exceptions. Ganesan Gurukal has been serving the Lord for the last six decades having started out here when he was 10 years old. His family belongs to the Nayanar clan of the Temple (the other clan is Paramarayar) that has the exclusive rights to perform abhishekam and alankaram for Thyagaraja Swamy. His is one of the only two families left to perform in the Nayanar clan. His father, Chandrasekaran Nayanar Gurukal, had performed service for five decades at the temple. 

He remembers 18 musical instruments having been here and played at different pooja times in praise of Lord Thyagaraja.  There were Poo Malai, Nagaswaram and Mathalam Groups performing service in those decades. Once upon a time, there were 300 service personnel at the temple. “The agraharam was vibrant. The Neivedyam of 1 Kalam would give you an indication of the kind of vibrancy in those days. Several hundreds of devotees would visit the temple for each of the six Kaalam pooja and multiple varieties of rice would be presented to the Lord and then distributed to the devotees. The service personnel too were in large numbers at the temple and the festivals used to have certain grandeur to it with local residents thronging the temple in the morning and evening for the street processions. Unfortunately, even as I was growing up into my teens, the original inhabitants and the Kainkaryapakas began leaving the town with lack of income and the resultant financial challenges leading them to bigger cities in search of opportunities elsewhere.”

For  many years, the Rathotsavam had come to a halt and was revived only in recent decades.

A nearby Sugar Factory provided employment opportunities to some of the service personnel so they double up at the temple in the morning and evening and worked at the factory during the day. 

While Ganesan has performed service for six decades, just over 50 years ago at least four archaka families quit service and went away from Tiruvarur including into overseas temples. He ensured that his son Somaskandan stuck to Temple Kainkaryam “We are hereditary priests and do not take salary from the temple. We used to be given paddy for our service. In those decades even though the income was minimal we lived a contented life and we were at peace with ourselves. My son was attached to Lord Thyagaraja from a very early age and he learned the agamas and began supporting me even when he was in his teens.”

Somaskanda Gurukal was born in the 1980s, a decade when the final batch of original inhabitants and service personnel were leaving the temple town. It also marked a phase when the priests moved elsewhere. The agraharam on South and North Mada Vilagam became a thing of the past as shops and multi storied complexes replaced the traditional homes. "During my teenage phase, there was severe shortage of service personnel. My appa initiated me as a young school boy into devotional service and created the interest in temples that has stayed with me through my three decades. Opportunities came my way from Singapore and Australia among other countries  but I did not take any of the offers. Most of my Patshala classmates continue to call me offering big money in overseas locations."

Even as a teenager, Somaskanda Gurukal was assigned, by his appa, the task of performing abhishekam at the Sannidhis other than those of Thyagaraja Swami and Ambal. After finishing his schooling, he moved to Mayiladuthurai where he learned the Agamas at the Patshala for five years. 20 years ago, he came back to Tiruvarur and joined full time service as Nayanar clan archaka. 

He recalls that in his growing up years he found many of his relatives leaving the temple in search of better financial prospects elsewhere including in the corporate world. Other relatives went away from daily archaka service into more lucrative Kumbabhisekams and Homams "We stayed back in Tiruvarur. There is definitely great happiness from performing abhisekam for Thyagesan and my mind has always been on performing service here at this temple. the 36 day Panguni Uthiram utsavam is the most devotionally exciting festival. On many nights during this festial I go back home well after 1am and return back to the temple soon after."

With most of the hereditary archaka families having left in the 1960s and 70s,  there are currently just two lead Nayanar archaka families performing service at the temple. Despite being the foremost among the Paadal Petra Sthalams, the Thyagaraja temple in Tiruvarur does not attract huge crowds like those in Chidambaram and Madurai. On weekdays, the crowd is no where near what one would expect for such a historical Saint Poets praised temple. There is no salary for the priest and he is dependent on Thattu Kaasu for financial survival. They do have a share in the archanai ticket but that has been off in the last 18 months. 

While the world around was undergoing a change, Somaskanda Gurukal stuck to the traditional attire - tuft in the way it was sported till a few decades ago. His particular favourites are Chandana Kaappu anointment and Alankaram of Lord Thyagesan and his only wish is to be able to do these through his entire lifetime.

It is great commiment to stick to hereditary service when most other original inhabitants have left the town long ago seeking greener pastures. But Somaskanda Gurukal is devotionally inclined and financial temptations don't move him as much as performing the alankaram during the Brahmotsavam. 

The temple and the Lord are in safe hands with this Next Gen Priest.

Somaskanda Gurukal can be reached on 9965957725.