Pullam Bhoothangudi Athanur Mei Kavalars

Pullam Bhoothangudi Divya Desam is a temple whose tale relates to the legendary episode of Jatayu Moksham from the Ramayana. Praised in the Periya Thirumozhi by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar as a well laid out city with huge Mansions and Mandapams (much in contrast to what it is now), Pullam Bhoothangudi was home to scores of Vedic Seers who in their chants through the day spread the message of forgiveness and patience as part of one’s lives. 

While several other Divya Desams have flourished because of the infrastructural development and ease of access, Pullam Bhoothangudi, administered by the Ahobilam Mutt, has been off the radar and been a rather quiet Divya Desam without too much of a devotee crowd. For several decades, till the end of the 20th Century, there was no access to this Divya Desam in a sad contrast to having been a ‘Well Laid Out City’ with mansions during Thiru Mangai Azhvaar’s period. Right through the previous century, one had to weed through the green fields North of Swami Malai to reach this temple. And later, a small one way mud road from Swami Malai had been the only improvement in terms of access to this temple.

மறையால்  முத்தீ அவை வளர்க்கும் 

மன்னு  புகழால் வண்மையால்  

பொறையால் மிக்க அந்தணர் வாழ் 

புள்ளம் பூதங்குடி தானே 

Thiru Mangai Azhvaaar describes the scene around the temple during his time over 1000 years ago in these ten verses at the beginning of the fifth canto.

நறிய மலர்மேல் சுரும்பு ஆர்க்க 

எழில் ஆர் மஞ்சை நடம் ஆட 

பொறி கொள் சிறை வண்டு இசை பாடும்

புள்ளம் பூதங்குடி தானே 

The temple was amidst huge groves where bees provided sweet musical tunes to the dancing peacocks, Pullam Bhoothangudi, where Lord Rama is seen in a Bala Sayana Posture, was a place with huge water tanks and wet fields in which fish fell prey to the birds that then took their prized scalp to feed their young ones.

பள்ளச் செருவில் கயல் உகள 

பழனிக் கழனி அதனுள் போய் 

புள்ளுப் பிள்ளைக்கு இறை தேடும் 

புள்ளம் பூதங்குடி தானே 

There were huge coconut groves and coconuts constantly fell from the trees (that is one commonality that existed till the end of the last century as seen in the story below). The scared fish jumped in and out of water and water birds kept flying away. He also praises the place as being home to Vedic Seers who constantly chanted the Vedas trying to understand its inner meaning.

கா ஆர் தெங்கின் பழம் வீழ 

கயல்கள் பாய, குருகு இரியும் 

பூ ஆர் கழனி எழில் ஆரும் 

The temple was surrounded with beautiful red lotuses that seemed to bloom all through the year in the water tanks, where one also found bees drinking nectar and humming sweet tunes. He makes a specific reference to Punnai Trees that sprinkled golden turmeric like pollen. Water, he says, gushed from the Cauvery with gems being washed ashore on to the banks in Pullam Bhoothangudi. 

While Thiru Mangai Azhvaar has praised the place in such glory, when infrastructure development happened over the last century, Pullam Bhoothangudi as well as Athanur Divya Desam , a couple of kms East have remained sidelined and come to be classified as a ‘remote temple’ among Divya Desams. 

39 year old Saravanan has been Mei Kavalar at the Valvil Ramar Divya Desam in Pullam Bhoothangudi near Kumbakonam for the last 5 years following in the footsteps of his father Narayanaswamy Naidu who had performed Kainkaryam at this remote temple for two decades. His Grandfather too had served as Mei Kavalar for decades at Athanur Divya Desam in the 20th Century. 

At Rs.2500 per month, it has not easy to make both ends meet, financially. He comes to the temple every morning at 6.30am and stays through till 12.30pm. And then he comes back in the evening and heads back home only after 8pm. Even on days when the priest has been away for a few hours, its the trusted Mei Kavalar Saravanan who manages the devotees taking them around the temple.

Thiru Mangai Azhvaar in the Periya Thiru Madal refers to the Lord of Athanur as one who measures time – The yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

அன்னவனை ஆதனூர் ஆண்டு அளக்கும் ஐயனை

நென்னலை இன்றினை நாளையை

The Mei Kavalar there too has been counting on the prospect of 'Good Time' but that has seemed an endless wait. With absolutely no access to Athanur from Swami Malai in the century gone by and no transport facilities, one had to walk all the way across the fields or take a bullock cart ride through the pits from Swami Malai.  Rarely would a devotee turn up at the temple in the decades gone by. Despite these, Brahmotsavam was performed in a grand way with the local residents playing the role of Sri Patham Thangis and carrying the Lord around on Vahana Processions across the streets of Athanur. 

Over the last 15 years, Mei Kavalar Balakrishnan (Balu) has been opening the main door at 630am to stay on till 12.30pm. He comes back again at 4pm and stays on till 730pm in the evening. With better roads and slightly improved bus services,  the devotee crowd has increased over the last decade but still its nowhere like the temples in the main town of Kumbakonam and other bigger towns and cities. One has to still keep the temple open and wonder if a devotee will turn up on a week day. Here too he is the one who manages the devotees when the bhattar is away from the temple. His finances are no different from that of the Pullam Bhoothangudi Mei Kavalar. 

With his devotional attachment to the temple, he has also doubled up as a garland maker and knots flower garland every day for the Lord in addition to the security services for which he is paid an extra 500 per month by the Ahobila Mutt.