Thiru Lokki Sundareswarar Temple

It is now 50years since the HR&CE took over the Sundareswarar temple in Thiru Lokki located a few kms North of the now popular Kanjanur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/10/kanjanur-sukra-sthalam.html) and Thiru Kodikkaval (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/04/thiru-kodikkaval-brahmotsavam-rishabha.html) temples. 58 year old Alala Sundaram has been following in the footsteps of his forefathers and been performing service as an archaka now for over 25years. His appa Mani Gurukal had performed pooja for several decades at the temple. Five decades after, Alala Sundaram Gurukal now gets a salary of Rs. 750 per month as a sole full time archaka and this too had not been paid for five years. It was only when the sweeper of the temple put out a video on the social media about the non-payment to her of the monthly salary of Rs. 600 for the last five years did the HR & CE clear the pending salaries of both the archaka and the sweeper.

But 12 months later, the same old story has returned to haunt both of them for their salaries have not been for the last year making the sweeper if it is time for her to put another video on the social media, if that is the only way to make the HR &CE pay their miniscule three digit salary.

Till the early 1970s, this temple had been administered by the Kasi Mutt, Thirupanandal before the HRCE took over.

Alala Sundaram Gurukal recounts the challenging times during the phase as a school boy “I walked 5kms every day to the school in Thirupanandal. It was quite a challenging phase financially for the family. There were Sirpanthigal, Mei Kaval, Paricharakar, Thiru Maalai and Melam but with the low salary they all moved out of this town leaving the temple only with the archaka and the sweeper.”

He discontinued academics after his schooling and moved into temple service.

Till the middle of the previous century, utsavams had been celebrated in a grand manner with street processions but all these have come to a halt. There were Vahana processions too but most of the vahanas had remained in damaged condition with only Anna Pakshi Vahana now in any shape. For long, the family lived in a hut house opposite the temple

When he joined the temple in 1996 after his appa’s death, he was paid a salary of Rs. 100 per month and a bag of Paddy but even this was converted to a fixed salary of Rs. 750 and the decades long provision of paddy was cut out from his income.

Notwithstanding these financial challenges, Alala Sundaram Gurukal has developed the temple over the last two decades. The prodosham now attracts around 50 devotees. It was here that (Navagriha) Guru Bhagawan had darshan of Rishabarootar and is seen in an Anjali Hastham in a separate sannidhi within the temple. Devotees seeking Guru dosham parikaram and those with wedding hurdles and separated couples have also been visiting the temple for specific Guru Homam relating to elimination of the dosham.

It was also through his solo efforts that the consecration was performed at the temple in 2015 after over four decades. His close relative performed pooja at the nearby Suriyanar Koil that has gained great prominence in the last few decades. That temple recovered faster than most others in this region near Aduthurai and he assisted his relative at that temple for additional income. When the relative passed away, he was offered a full time engagement as an archaka at the Suriyanar temple but the Sundareswarar temple in Thiru Lokki has been one where his forefathers have performed service for a couple of centuries and he did not want to let this service go even if his salary continues to be only in three digits.

Interestingly the sweeper lady, Lakshmi, who posted the social media video, too has followed in the footsteps of her family. Her aunt served as a sweeper for several decades at this temple and she is now continuing that role even though her salary is just Rs. 20 a day (which too has not been for the last year).

The Gurukal's son has just completed his graduation and is looking to pursue his post graduate studies. One does not yet know if he will continue the hereditary service rendered by forefathers but what he has seen financially of his appa at the Sundareswarar temple would make him apprehensive of the future as a temple archaka. Interestingly, in a refreshing move, Alala Sundaram Gurukal handed her daughter, an Engineer, to a temple archaka and she too was willing to live a life in an archaka family.

Just half a km South is the Sheerabdhi Narayana Sayana Perumal temple, where 75 year old Varadaraja Bhattar has been donning the role of archaka for decades having taken over from his appa who too had served for many decades. There too it is the same story with both the archaka and the sweeper assigned the same salary as those at the Sundareswarar temple but there too it has remained only on paper and the archakas and the sweepers in these two temples have survived only through the support of the devotees (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/09/thiru-lokki-sheeraabdhi-sayana-narayana.html).

It is saddening that the HR &CE with several thousands of crores in its kitty does not even have the heart to pay a three digit salary to long standing archakas. What put off the sweeper at the Sundareswarar temple in recent years was the statement made by the then EO who told her that the previous EO would not have signed off her salary and the next EO who succeeds him at the temple too would not pay her salary. Service personnel in such remote temples who slog it out to keep the daily pooja going wonder as to how when the EO of such temples are being paid a big amount as salary, why those like them who have been serving for several decades cannot be paid even the miniscule salary that is allocated to their service.

It is time that the HR &CE looks into the plight of the archakas and service personnel in these remote temples in Tamil Nadu and pay them what is due for the service rendered by them every day of the year. 

It is hoped that the HR & CE Minister PK Sekar Babu (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/05/hr-ce-minister-sekar-babu-on-roll.html) will look seriously into the committed service rendered by service personnel in remote temples and direct a reasonable pay to them. In the recent past, he has spoken a lot to this writer about the renewed focus on recovery of temple lands and allocating a lot of money for Temple Thiruppani. As part of this allocation, can he also look into allocating a sum for those that serve in these remote temples for it is because of their selfless service that the poojas have continued into the current generation.

For the moment, it would be nice for the HR & CE to at least pay the salary to the two archakas and two sweepers that has been pending for the last 12months.