Veera Raghava Brahmma Desam Rig Veda Ganapadigal

At 70, his is a frail body now but behind that is a wealth of knowledge that created a number of top notch Vedic Students who are carrying forward the Vedic tradition across the country. Way back in 1978, the then 25 year old Veera Raghava Ganapadigal was instructed by Maha Periya to go to Brahmma Desam to initiate Rig Vedas to a bunch of students. It was quite a remote location and the original inhabitants were beginning to leave this ancient temple town. The Ganapadigal, who hailed from Valanadu near Tirunelveli, had himself undergone Vedic Education for over 10 years at the Patshala in Kambarasampettai. For the next few decades, he went about creating the next generation of Rig Veda Pundits at the Patshala on the South Street in Brahmma Desam a couple of hundred yards from the ancient Kailasanathar temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/12/brahmmadesam-kailasanathar-koil.html).  

Till the original inhabitants began leaving this historical temple town, the agraharam was vibrant with over 400 Brahmin families residing around the Kailasanathar temple that is replete with exquisite sculptures.

For many decades, Veera Raghava Ganapadigal also performed daily Thiru Aradhanam at the Krishnan Koil on the South Street in Brahmma Desam before handing over the reigns to his elder son.

Referred to as Raja Raja Chaturvedi Mangalam, Brahmma Desam was historically renowned for Vedic Scholars reciting the four Vedas through the day. There was such vibrancy in the region brought about by this nonstop chanting that Raja Raja Chozha donated the entire temple town to the Vedic Scholars so they could focus on the recital. Veera Raghava Ganapadigal is now 70 years old and has had health challenges in the recent past but he remembers vividly those glory years of Vedic initiation to a set of highly dedicated students “This temple town was renowned for Vedic Scholars and Periyava specifically chose this location for a Vedic Patshala. I had secured certificate from the Sankara Mutt after almost a dozen years of Vedic Education. He called me and directed me to Brahmma Desam asking me to initiate Rig Vedas to a set of students. Periyava wanted the students to come out with flying colours and it was a glorious phase for me spending time with these young students over several years.”

Looking back at those decades till the end of the previous century, Veera Raghava Ganapadigal is proud that he was able to create Vedic Scholars in exactly the way Periya wished. One of his first students is now the Adyayana Bhattar at the Palani temple. Many other students are performing service in other temples across the country and he is delighted that at a time when the Vedic interest was dwindling 3-4 decades ago, he was able to create students well versed in Vedas who are now well respected in the Vedic world.

Rajkumar Bhattar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/07/brahmma-desam-kailasanathar-koil.html), the hereditary priest at the Kailasanathar Koil, too credits Veera Raghava Ganapadigal for initiating him into the Vedas “Even as a young boy, I spent a lot of time with him learning the Vedas under his guidance. If today that knowledge is playing a vital role in carrying out my duties inside the temple and during utsavam, the credit for that goes to my Vedic Acharya.”

While a lot in the next generation have moved into academics and subsequently into the corporate world, he was keen for both his sons to take to Vedic Education. His elder son, who has learned the Agamas from the Pillayarpatti Patshala Acharya, has followed in the footsteps of his appa and now performs Thiru Aradhanam at Krishnan Koil in Brahmma Desam. His younger son who spent 8 years learning the Vedas too has taken to the Vedic line as his way of life.

They have resisted the temptation to move to cities in search of lucrative engagements and have been residing in the same old house on South Street in Brahmma Desam and are continuing to spread the Vedic messages from this remote temple town.

Unfortunately the Sankara Mutt has forgotten his decades long contribution. He served at a not so great financial remuneration. Throughout his life, he cycled his way to Ambasamudram even for basic provisions. It would have nice of the Mutt to have taken care of him financially in his post retirement days but it was not to be proving once again that Mutts are no different from the HR&CE in terms of treating the selfless service personnel.

Veera Raghava Ganapadigal is soft spoken and modest and downplays his achievements but quietly from this almost forgotten temple town, he has single handedly provided to the Vedic World students who are carrying forward the wishes of Maha Periyava. His one wish is to rebuild the once famous Chariot of the Kailasanathar Koil and he wants to see the new Chariot run on the streets of Brahmma Desam as part of the Panguni Brahmotsavam.