Ayyur Varadaraja Perumal Samprokshanam

For over a hundred years, there had been no consecration at the ancient Varadaraja Perumal temple in Ayyur, Thiru Kuvalai Taluk. In recent decades, all the utsavams had come to a halt. The priest, whose family have been performing Thiru Aradhanam for over five decades, had not been paid his Rs. 100 monthly salary for many years. Same time last year, the physical infrastructure of the temple was in a dilapidated state with most of the structures falling off. The outer prakara was full of bushes and there were no walls as enclosure to the temple complex.

Within the space of a year, the temple has seen a dramatic transformation. Following a story in this section in October last year, which was tweeted by TR Ramesh, President of Temple Worshipper's society (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/02/tr-ramesh-temple-activist.html), devotees queued up to take up the renovation works. More importantly, the HR & CE acted swiftly within hours of the story and the tweet and directed immediate restoration of the temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/10/pinna-vaasal-sowri-rajan-bhattar.html). This kickstarted the restoration exercise.

Finally, the approval for the major repair works was granted to Dasarathi, an individual devotee working in the IT sector with a MNC in Madras. He told this writer that he wrote a letter to the EO of the temple expressing interest to take up the restoration exercise ‘The EO took all the steps to get the approval from the HR &CE. He also organised for electricity connection to the temple. We also ensured that the sannidhi is lit with traditional lamps.”

The devotee’s team also conducted a basic cleaning exercise removing the debris that had congregated inside the temple complex. On Maasi Magam this year, Balalayam was performed under the guidance of agama expert K Srinivasan Bhattar of Therazhundur Divya Desam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/09/therazhundur-vasan-bhattar.html). The repair works began soon after and progressed at a rapid pace. Within a period of six months or so, the entire work was completed.

Five Kaala Homam, Veda Parayanam and Prabhandham Ghosti took place starting Saturday (Aug 27) morning. Around 1500 devotees were present on Sunday evening to witness the fourth Kaala Homam. This morning, much to the surprise everyone, there were at least a 1000 devotees congregating from all the nearby villages for the Maha Samprokshanam that took place between 9am and 10.30am. This was followed by Kalyana Utsavam.

The Raja Gopuram wears a fresh look as does the madapalli that has been restored to its ancient glory. The Artha Mandapam and the Maha Mandapam that had become the inhabitants of dangerous reptiles just a year ago too have been restored and bear no resemblance to how they were last year. New outer walls has been constructed around the prakara. The temple is now well lit.  A Theppa Kulam too has been beautifully redone. It is expected that utsavams will start soon with support from the devotees who are now all excited at the transformation the temple has seen.

Following the story in this section, SV Badri, father in law of cricketer Abhinav Mukund (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2007/09/cricket-pick-of-month-abhinav-mukund.html) and a former Senior Management ( BP Marketing) staffer at Bayer brought together devotees from across the world to support Sowri Rajan Bhattar whose meagre Rs. 100 per month salary had not been paid for four years by the HR & CE.  It was the timely support from Badri that boosted the Bhattar's spirit in that phase. It also helped present daily Thaligai in good quantity to Varadaraja Perumal.

As part of the temple restoration exercise, Dasarathi also organised reconstruction of the house of Sowri Raja Bhattar in Pinna Vasal, about 7kms from the temple, during this phase. This too was completed this month and grihapravesam performed last week.

Vasan Bhattar has been the guiding force all through the last year advising Sowri Rajan Bhattar and the donor on the agamic aspects of the restoration. He also anchored the consecration that took place this morning following the five kala Homams. Vasan Bhattar has in the last two decades showcased as to how temples, however remote, can be transformed, not just with Therazhundur Divya Desam but with his guidance at Sirupuliyur, Mangai Nallur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/12/mangai-nallur-temple-priest-veda.html) and many other temples in the region.  He has mentored several young priests during his time. One of them, Venkatesh Bhattar, who learned the agamas under the revered Kannan Bhattar (Vasan Bhattar's appa), was also present at the Samprokshanam event supporting Vasan Bhattar.

It was Vasan Bhattar who told this writer a couple of years ago on the great commitment of the Pinna Vasal Bhattar “Devotees visit Divya Desams and support Azhvaar praised temples but very few devotees come forward to take care of committed bhattars like Sowri Rajan. For decades, he has been taking care of the Ayyur Varadaraja Perumal temple with minimal salary and without too many devotees. Every day he has been the one who has lit the lamp and performed Thiru Aradhanam unmindful of the financial challenges.”

It was the chat that this writer had with Vasan Bhattar that led to the story on Sowri  Raja Bhattar and the dilapidated state of the Varadaraja Perumal temple.

Vasan Bhattar is particularly happy that there has been a big turnaround in the life of Sowri Rajan Bhattar and that he has finally got the recognition he deserves for his and his appa’s five decades long devotion to Varadaraja Perumal.

For the first in decades, Varadaraja Perumal will be on a street procession this evening providing darshan to the villagers who had waited for long for this to take place.

It had been the dream of Sowri  Rajan Bhattar's appa the 87 year Rajagopalan Bhattar,  who had performed Thiru Aradhanam through the most challenging phase in the 2nd half of the previous century, to witness the  consecration of this temple in his life time. Sowri Rajan Bhattar is happy that he has been able to fulfil his appa’s wish.