Rayanallur Varadaraja Perumal Yathulan Bhattar

Yathu Kula Thilakan (R Srinivasan) Bhattar, who had gone through a traumatic childhood losing both hsi parents before he was ten, has chosen to serve at a remotely located temple that not too many would easily take up. He had spent a dozen years at the Vaduvur Patshala and like almost all his classmates had the option of moving to cities chasing financially lucrative temples. But he has chosen a remote temple in Rayanallur, 20kms from Mannargudi and dedicated the last three years to the development of the temple that had been in a dilapidated state till the middle of the last decade. He is all of 30 but his devotional commitment to the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Rayanallur as well as several other Perumal temples in the region has been of the highest order, especially at a time when the next gen even in most Divya Desams have been  going away from hereditary temples. Since the completion of his Patshala education five years ago, he has received offers from across the country and overseas as well, but Yathulan Bhattar has stood firm that he will stay rooted to the temple suggested by his mentor and he will stay as close to his favourite Vaduvur Ramar for the rest of his life. Here is the story: 

Yathulan lost his amma when he was just three years old and then his appa seven years later. Hailing from Ezhuveri, a small village near Tiruvarur, he spent a majority of his first 25years at Vaduvur where he studied till Class VIII. His  uncle was a cook at the Andavan Ashramam Patshala in Vaduvur. Even as a young school boy, he had begun to perform kainkaryam at the Ramar temple in Vaduvur and his mind had become devotionally attached to Ramar. 

He quit school to join the Patshala at 13. For the next dozen years, he underwent intense agama and vedic education under the renowned Vaduvur Desikachariar and Vaduvur Govindan. Over a decade ago, the patshala was still vibrant and there were over 50 students undergoing vedic education. Yathulan,  was highly committed to vedic studies as well as service to his acharyas. His commitment to everything he did made him a favourite at the Patshala (years ago, when this writer wrote a story on the Brahmotsavam at the temple as well as the Patshala, it was Yathulan who took writer around the Patshala and the temple and stayed through the night)  - https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/05/vaduvur-rama-navami-utsavam.html.

During the period of his vedic education, he also performed different kinds of service through the year at the Rama Temple in Vaduvur including during the Brahmotsavam.

By the time he was 25, he had completed Kramantham. Alongside Vedic studies, he was also initiated into the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham. Almost all his fellow classmates had left Vaduvur after the completion of the course and Yathulan alone stayed back.  He too had received several offers from elsewhere but his mind remained with his acharyas and he began to teach at the Patshala. Having been there for a large part of his first 25years, Yathulan had become devotionally attached to Vaduvur Ramar and was keen to serve the Lord for the rest of his life. It was he who took care of his acharya Vaduvur Desikachariar performing daily aradhanam at his Thiru Maligai and serving him in the final years of his life with utmost devotion.

As part of his Vedic initiation, he had presented Veda Parayanam at the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Rayanallur. He felt good  The 900 year old temple had remained dilapidated for a long time with the Moolavar idol buried under the earth. The Hindu Group’s director Vijaya, daughter of former Publisher S Rangarajan, along with her entrepreneur husband Arun, was a regular at the Kasturi Ranganatha Perumal temple in Vilakudi, about 1km west of Rayanallur.  It was they who anchored the restoration work at the temple and have been the trustees over the last 8years. 

Three years ago, when Ramesh Bhattar, who had been performed archaka service at the temple, decided to quit, Yathulan received a surprise call from his Vedic Acharya. Vaduvur Govindan who managed the patshala for many years, made a polite enquiry to his student if he would be interested in taking up the archaka service at Rayanallur. Yathulan Bhattar recounts that moment "My mentor knew about my attachment to Vaduvur Rama and expected me to negate the offer. But when he asked and having also been part of the consecration of the Varadaraja Perumal temple a few years prior, I agreed instantly to my acharya's call and made the move to Rayanallur."

In the three years that he has been here, Yathulan has started Vedic recital in the morning and Divya Prabhandham and Satru Murai in the evening while presenting Thaligai to the Lord. The utsavams too have been revived in this period. A five day utsavam for Vedantha Desikar in Puratasi, Rama Navami, Andal Kalyanam on Bhogi and Thayar Oonjal during Navarathri have now become integral to the annual celebrations at the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Rayanallur.

He says that 'Govindan Anna' has been his guiding force over the last two decades. "He has got me a good temple with highly devoted and committed trustees. They have been here at least once every month in the last three years." 

Yathulan Bhattar has had offers pouring in during the last few years from across the country and overseas but his has been a stern NO to all of them. He has decided in his mind not to go overseas even if one of the most financially lucrative offers come his way. 

His devotional interest in serving the Lord has led to an increasing number of devotees coming into the temple especially on Saturdays when he decorates Hanuman with Vennai kaappu. Thirumanjanam on specific star days each month has been a new addition in recent years with this becoming a feature on 18 days every month. Asthana Garuda Sevai on Puratasi Saturdays, a procession to the North West end of the town on Chitrai day in Panguni have helped create devotional interest in the local residents. 

Yathulan also doubles up as the madapalli cook presenting a different menu every evening to Varadaraja Perumal. At the Patshala he had managed the accounts for years and with that experience, he has streamlined the processes at the temple in Rayanallur making timely payments to the flower vendor, the milk man and the like. He has also been taking Nalayira Divya Prabhandham classes for the local residents creating the devotional interest in them. 

Yathulan Bhattar has already played an inspirational role in the utsavams at the Kalyana Ranganathar temple in Vilakudi. He has led Veda Parayanam for 20 days during the Adyayana Utsavam. Veda Parayanam is also now an integral part of the Pavitrotsavam and Adyayana Utsavam at the Perumal temple in Panaiyur, while Vedic recital has also begun during the Pavitrotsavam at the Adhi Rangam temple. For over a decade,  he has been a regular member of the Veda Parayanam team at the  leading utsavams at the Rajagopalaswamy temple in Mannargudi (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/09/mannargudi-rajagopalaswamy-temple.html) as well as the Ramar temple in Vaduvur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2008/12/vaduvur-kothandaramar.html) including during the Brahmotsavams. He also supports the Srinivasa Perumal temple in Kottur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2014/12/kottur-srinivasa-perumal.html), 6kms east of Rayanallur, in their utsavams. He is currently guiding the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kadanthethi for their consecration.  

At the peak of the Pandemic, he undertook a promise to reduce his weight that had shot to almost 160kgs. In the last 12months, through sheer devotional perseverance, he has dramatically reduced this by almost half to 90kgs. He has not had rice or tiffen for a large part of the last year and still remained completely energized in discharging his temple duties leaving everyone wondering if it was humanly possible to reduced 70kgs in a year without medical intervention but Yathulan Bhattar has proved in the years that he has been here that transformation in life is possible with devotional commitment to God and seemingly impossible things can be achieved with the Lord’s blessings.

It is not easy to be alone in a remote town and be performing service to the Lord through each day of the year. Both at the Rayanallur temple and in the ones around, a devotional vibration can be felt in the presence of Yathulan Bhattar. For such remote temples, devotional commitment of priests is of utmost importance and Yathulan Bhattar has that in abundance. For 14years, he used only well water at Vaduvur, something not common these days.  He has still not forgotten the very first Sambhavanai of Rs. 20 he received from VS Karunakarachariar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/09/karunakaran-swamy-president-award.html) several years ago. He does not spend lavishly and lives a contented life. He passes this message to other priests his age trying to impress upon them the importance of focusing on devotional service to God and to create that devotional interest among devotees as an archaka's way of life. He has in his vision building a compound wall around the temple complex, a Raja Gopuram, a Go-Shala and to revive some of the bigger utsavams at the temple including the Pavitrotrasavam and Brahmotsavam. With his devotional commitment at this young age, it is likely  God will bless him in his endeavours.

Rayanallur is about 20kms from Mannargudi on the Thiruthuraipoondi route. Yathulan Bhattar can be reached on 70943 57172/95782 89842