Mangai Madam Veera Narasimha Perumal Brahmotsavam Garuda Sevai

Earlier this week, this section featured a story on the extraordinary commitment of the Priest in South TN. This one is about a priest, almost the same age and just as remote, in the Chozha region. Soon after completing his agamic education, Balaji Bhattar had offers from Madras but he refused each of those and move back to his hereditary location in Thiru Nangur. And within this Divya Desam, he had an offer to take over at the Madhava Perumal temple in Annan Koil but he refused this too instead choosing to don the role of the archaka in the remote Pancha Narasimha Sthalam at Mangai Madam, where Thiru Mangai Azhvaar presented Thathiyarathanai to 1008 Vaishnavites.

From what it was a couple of decades, the Veera Narasimha Perumal temple has been completely transformed solely due to the efforts of Balaji Bhattar. On Friday night, it is well past 10pm on the Garuda Sevai night and a few hundred devotees were waiting at the Eastern entrance to receive Ranganatha Perumal, the utsava deity at the temple and Thiru Mangai Azhvaar from their two hour long procession around the rather dark streets of Mangai Madam. Soon after the procession, he feeds the few hundred devotees to a sumptuous meal similar to Thiru Mangai Azhvaar feeding the devotees all those centuries ago. It is almost 11pm when all the devotees come up to him to thank him for the grand Garuda Sevai procession and the stomach filling dinner. 

Earlier in the day, Balaji Bhattar began working on the alankaram for Ranganatha Perumal and Thiru Mangai Azhvaar shortly after 3pm. He roped in his name sake (Balaji) from Erode’s Srinivasa Perumal temple for support. 

By 6pm, local residents began decorating the temple complex with white pulli kolam and the Theevatti person too arrived. Ranganatha Perumal was seen glittering with jewels after the two priests spent almost three hours in decorating the Lord and Thirumangai Azhaar focusing on minute details. Just after 6.30pm, Balaji Bhattar faced an issue, not totally unexpected. It was the first Aadi Velli evening and the garland maker was difficult to get. When demand overshoots supply, such service personnel cash in and their expectations suddenly change. While it is a practice for the garland maker to hand over the garlands at the temple well ahead of the  procession during the Brahmotsavam and it was a special set on Friday evening being the Garuda Sevai day, he demanded for the bhattar to send in his person to collect. Even more frustrating for the Bhattar was the fact that the big Thindu Maalai for Perumal was not yet ready. After several follow up phone calls, it finally arrived at 8pm. 

Sripatham personnel comprising of several young boys were already present and raring to go. Their decibel levels were high even as the Nagaswaram continued to play inside the temple.

The procession began just around 8.30pm with the few Prabhandham members presenting Nanmugan Thiruvanthathi. At the entrance, Sripatham who carried Ranganatha Perumal around the prakara on their shoulders mounted the Lord on to the wheeled cart as is the case in most remote temples these days. The Eastern Street at the far end was pitch dark and it took one back to historical times when processions took place with the Ghee lit Theevatti as the source of light. The Theevatti personnel played an important role on the night as they led the Prabhandham member at the top of the procession and then also paved the path for Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Kumudavalli as well as for Ranganatha Perumal on the Garuda Vahana to make their way without any hitches.

On to the South and West streets, a number of devotees welcomed the Lord in front of their homes presenting coconut and fruits. It was one of the big days in the year for the residents of Mangai Madam with Perumal providing Garuda Sevai darshan. The decibel levels of the Sripatham was high throughout the procession as they shouted out the names of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Perumal.

On to the North Street, Satish Bhattar from Narayana Perumal Divya Desam in Thiru Nangur joined in to support Balaji Bhattar on the procession receiving the Thattu from the devotees. 

As the Lord made his way back into the temple, there were over a hundred devotees waiting to have darshan of the Lord on the Garuda Vahana and to listen to the Prabhandham Saatru Murai. 

Prasadam presentation at the end of a long two hour procession is a feature at remote temples and hundreds of devotees sat on the prakara to taste the Sweet, Puliyodharai and Dhadhyonam served on the traditional plantain leaf.

While the devotees made their way out by 11pm chatting amongst themselves about the tasty prasadam, there was another hour to go for Balaji Bhattar as he and his guest priests had to get the utsava deities back to their abode after removing the jewels and the special alankara of the evening.

It was a devotionally fulfilling evening for Balaji Bhattar as sitting in faraway Mangai Madam, he has been able to anchor a physically tiring Garuda Sevai day and delight the devotees with the alankaram and serving them with a sumptuous prasadam late in the night. 

A few kms away from Mangai Madam is Thiruvali - Thirunagari Divya Desam. This year, the son of the priest at the Thirumangai Azhvaar temple joined a multinational firm after completing his professional degree. Another from the next gen has moved away from a historical Divya Desam and into the corporate world. 

But Balaji Bhattar is totally inclined towards devotion and temple service. He has always been of the view that only a few in this world are blessed to have the opportunity to serve the Lord each day of their life and that one cannot substitute this service with any other high paying job. That was the reason he refused the offers from larger cities a couple of decades ago and chose to stay back in this remote temple town of Mangai Madam. Now, he is initiating his 12 year old son Lakshmipathy into a traditional way of life.

The young 7th class student revealed his daily schedule to this writer just ahead of the Garuda Sevai procession on Friday evening “I go to the Nangur Patshala every morning at 4am for the Vedic class. This is followed by Prabhandham and Agama class that go on till 7.30am. After a quick breakfast, I leave for my school at 8am and come back around 4pm. After finishing my homework, I practice what I learnt at the Patshala to be prepared for the next morning’s class.”

Like his appa, Lakshmipathy seems to have taken a special liking to the Vedic and Prabhandham learning. At 12, he has completed learning a majority of the Iyarpa verses. He is now looking forward to start learning the Mudalayiram verses in the coming months. At this age, a lot of his life centers around his appa’s favourite Veera Narasimha Perumal and he is there every evening for the street procession. There is a certain delight in his eyes when he talks about the agamas and a joy in reciting the prabhandham.

Over the last nine months, Balaji Bhattar has begun reviving the Pancha Parva processions at Mangai Madam starting with the Pournami celebrations as well as a Uthiram Thirumanjanam for Thayar every month through a NBFC corporate chief. Also, through his own initiative, the Bhattar has added a few cows at the temple, the milk from which is presented every morning to Veera Narasimha Perumal. Balaji Bhattar told this writer late on Friday evening that to go with the Garuda Sevai procession, one of the cows delivery a Kannu Kutti just ahead of the procession.

There are still a few priests in remote towns in TN who are keen for their sons to take to temple service. Balaji Bhattar is one such. Not only has he turned around the fortunes of this temple dating back to the legend of Thiru Mangai Mannan’s transformation into a Saint Poet, by anchoring Thirupanni works and consecrations twice, he is also now creating an early interest in his son towards the traditional way of life and initiating him into temple service.  And that is highly commendable.