Thanjavur Big Temple Ramanathan Shivachariar passes away

TK Ramanathan Shivachariar, who had served at the Brihadeeswarar ‘Big Temple’ in Thanjavur for over four decades, passed away recently just a few months ahead of the 90th birthday celebrations that his family was planning. 

Hailing from Nallicherry near Mayiladuthurai, he moved to Puliyur near Needamangalam as a young boy.  He was well versed in the Agamas and performed service at the village temples there in his youth. He later moved to Thanjavur and performed archaka service at a Murugan temple in Arisikara Street. 

When there was a shortage of priests at the Big Temple in Thanjavur, he was offered a post as an archaka when he was in his 30s. His wife Kalyani recalls that moment over five decades ago “He was overawed by the size of the Big Temple and was apprehensive if he would be able to discharge his duties well. It was his relative Sattanathan Shivachariar who convinced him to accept the invitation.  And thus, quite unwillingly he took over charge at the Big Temple.”

A man who started with so much apprehension went on to serve as a priest with the greatest devotional commitment for over four decades leaving his wife Kalyani surprised. She told this writer this week at her home on Periya Piyalu Street (West Main Street) that he had become completely so devotionally attached to Brahadeeswarar that he refused to go outside the temple "He even named our third son as Brahadeeswarar.”

The Brihadeeswarar temple is considered a unique gem of Chozha, Nayak and Maratha artistic achievements. It would be hard for any devotee or tourist from the current generation to believe that in the not too distant past, the now World Heritage Site was inundated with hundreds of bats, and devotees and priests alike dreaded going inside the temple with darkness all around. Till the 20th century, there had been only two Kumbhabhishekams at the temple - one during Raja Raja Chozhan’s rule and the other in early 19th Century anchored by King Sarfoji.  Rajaram Raja Sahib, the grandfather of the current Prince Babaji Bhonsle, was keen to restore the temple to its ancient glory but the finances were poor. The Big Temple was not a tourist destination as it is now. It was not a devotional destination either. The fact that it was not a Paadal Petra Sthalam did not help.

The 1970s was one of the most challenging periods at the Big Temple. Kumbabhisekam had not been performed for over 150years. The planned repair works from the 1960s had been postponed. There was no income at the temple. Traditional residents moved to larger cities in search of greener pastures. Devotee crowd at the temple dwindled. Thattu Kaasu was almost non-existent. It was in this backdrop that he joined the Big Temple at a salary of Rs. 45.

It may come as a surprise to many in the new gen who are now experiencing a wave of priests at the Big Temple. Each Sannidhi has a priest and assistants as well but way back in the 1970s, Ramanathan Shivachariar was one of the just three priests who served through that dark decade managing pooja in all the sannidhis. 

Ramanathan Shivachariar told this writer exactly two years ago that he was ever indebted to the Palace “The Palace always stood by us. They were keen on our welfare and tried their best to support us in every possible way. They always craved for our happiness. Though I was financially challenged, not once did it cross my mind to go away from the temple in search of other lucrative opportunities.” 

90 year old K Ramnarayanan, who worked in the Revenue Department in Thanjavur for four decades, recalls an anecdote from the decades gone by “Ramanathan Shivachariar participated in a common strike, unrelated to the temple. Ahead of joining the strike group, he placed the neivedyam in front of the Lord with a veshti placed on top. When he came back from the strike, he found the Veshti had come off. He told me that it was a great personal lesson he learned from Lord Brihadeeswarar who pointed to him that he had left him hungry and gone away. From that moment, he promised that he would never do any activity without feeding the Lord.”

In January 2020, Ramanathan Shivachariar told this writer that he was delighted that Prince Raja Bhonsle had effected a remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of the temple “When we were in service in the 1970s, financial situation was so bad that even our monthly salaries were delayed. The current Prince has ensured a great financial remuneration for all the priests in the temples under his administration. I am delighted that the current generation of priests of the Brihadeeswarar temple is enjoying a financially secure life under the Prince’s management. We were just three of us back then but struggled financially. Now there is a big contingent of priests at the Big Temple but each one of them is taken care of well, financially. I am happy to have seen this transformation at this temple in my lifetime.”

While the Big Temple had seen only two consecrations till 1980, Ramanathan Shivachariar was witness to three in a four decades period.

Just a day before the biggest consecration that the Big Temple has seen, Prince Bhonsle honoured the then 87 year old Ramanathan Shivachariar for his decades of service and for continuing to serve at the temple, especially during the most financially challenging times. 

50 year old Deva Senapathi, son of the late Sattanathan Shivachariar recalls his association with Ramanathan Shivachariar "He considered Performing Service at the feet of Brihadeeswarar as his sole duty in life. He did not even attend the family functions such was the devotional attachment to the Lord here. He symbolized a priest’s devotional sincerity. He always followed the traditional process and did not do things for money like priests do today. There was no room for VIP special darshan in his books and no special 'Maalai Mariyathai' for those who gave extra money. He could not be lured by money".

“He struggled in his youth and was financially challenged in his early married life. It was my appa who asked him to join here. He always had that gratitude for getting him the Big Temple posting and was particularly affectionate towards me right till the very end. His devotion to Brihadeeswarar and his simple way of life did not change till the end though he had earned a good name as the priest of the Big Temple."

Prince Babaji Rajah Bhonsle(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/thanjavur-palace-babaji-rajah-bhonsle.html), who took charge in the mid 1980s and has since created a never been seen transformation has the highest words of praise for Ramanathan Shivachariar“The 1960s and 70s was a difficult phase for us and we faced many challenges but the commitment of Ramanathan Shivachariar was at its highest. The financial benefits was not big in those decades but he had the fullest faith in Lord Brahadeeswarar and it was his devotional attachment to the Lord that he continued to serve with great happiness even during the dark days."

Ramanathan Shivachariar lived a highly devotional life in the true spirit of how a truly committed priest had to. He was well versed in the agamas, could communicate in English and was one of the most respected priests in the temple circles in the region.  He was well supported by his wife Kalyani in his devotional endeavours. She looks back at her six decades of married life with great satisfaction “Thattu Kaasu was minimal in those days but even in the most challenging of times, he did not ask any devotee or the Palace for money. He was always invoking the blessings of Brihadeeswarar and throughout his service at the Big Temple, he had made performing Abhisekam and offering Neivedyam as his only way of life. Even during the Brahmotsavam, there was minimal devotee crowd in the period that he joined but he would perform service with the greatest sincerity and return home well after 10pm each day. ”