Shenbagaramanallur Gopalan Bhattar

Hailing from the historical temple town of Mannar Koil near Ambasamudram, Gopalan Bhattar moved to Shenbagaramanallur, about 10kms east of Nanguneri Thothadri Nathan Divya Desam, in the  mid 1960s as a 25 year old to take care of the Government school there as the Head Master. He had spent his entire schooling days at Mannar Koil watching the utsavams including the celebration of Kulasekara Azhvaar who had attained Moksham there (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/03/periya-nambi-narasimha-gopalan-acharya.html). He became a Government school teacher in 1963 and served at various schools for close to four decades.

In the mid 1970s, at a time when the 14th Century AD Jagannathan Perumal temple in Shenbagaramanallur was deserted and lying in a dilapidated state, he was asked by the locals to take care of the daily Thiru Aradhanam. He acceded to their request and for the last 47 years has been the sole archaka at the temple. 

Gopalan Bhattar is 82 years old and has just lost his wife to a stroke. Despite the loss, he remains committed to archaka service at the feet of Jagannathan Perumal, to whom he has dedicated a large part of his life. He recalls those early years at the temple “There was famine in this region and most of the original inhabitants had begun leaving the village seeking greener pastures in the cities. There were minimal devotees at the temple and Thattu Kaasu was non existent. It was dangerous to enter the temple in the late evening as it was dark and scary. There was no ghee to light the lamp. Having accepted this Kainkaryam, I performed Thiru Aradhanam every day with devotion despite the lack of financial returns. After close to five decades of service, I dedicate everything that has happened in my life to Jagannathan Perumal. He has taken great care of me and left me with no shortcomings.”

The temple like many historical ones has huge lands in its custody handed out several centuries ago by the kings but for decades the rent from these have not been forthcoming.  He was to be given paddy for his service but with the leaseholders not paying the temple the dues, he was rarely paid for his service.

In those dark days, his appa, who was the right hand of Gomathi Sankar Dikshithar, presented to him a devotional message that he continues to follow to this day "if you perform archaka service sincerely each day of the year, Jagannathan Perumal would shower his blessings on you and the temple will one day see a revival of the utsavams and the Thiruppani works will lead to a consecration." 

As predicted, the dilapidated temple has indeed see a restoration and a revival of the utsavams. Gopalan Bhattar anchored the Thai Brahmotsavam that begins every year on the Hastham day. In 2003, almost single handedly, he performed the consecration of the temple for the first time in several decades. There are exquisite sculptures inside the temple and Gopalan Bhattar has played an important role in protecting them and seeing through the temple in its most testing phase. At the main Eastern entrance are artistic sculptures of Rathi and Manmatha, similar to the ones found at Krishnapuram temple, 13kms east of Tirunelveli (http://prtraveller.blogspot.in/2007/07/non-divya-desam-temple-tale.html).

As was the tradition in the centuries gone by, Gopalan Bhattar has had cows at home right from his childhood. Though he is now into his 80s, he continues to take care of them and currently has 7cows. He says with a great deal of satisfaction that he has managed hundreds of cows in his lifetime.

Through this journey, Chidambaram has been supporting him inside the temple carrying the Theevatti during the processions over the last 25years. He also maintains the cleanliness within the temple complex. On many days, it is a lonely life but he has been performing his service cheerfully.  

Just under a decade ago, this section had featured a story on the Jagannathan Perumal temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2014/03/shenbagaramanallur-jagannathan-perumal.html). His several decades of service bore further fruits this year when for just the second time in over half a century, the temple saw a consecration, this time quite a grand one with archakas from across Divya Desams participating in the event. The temple now wears a fresh look. LED lights shine bright inside the temple quite a transformation from the dark days in the 1970s. The Vahanas too give a festive look to the temple.                                

Despite the remoteness of the village, Gopalan Bhattar has been able to rope in devotees to build four new Vahanas. On the Thiruvonam star day every month a good number of devotees visit the temple. On the second Saturday of Puratasi, he is at the temple early to welcome the devotees. He told this writer with great delight that there are at least 500 devotees at the temple on this day, a real transformation from his early decades when he waited at the entrance to see if there would be any devotees, a wait that for most part proved futile. While that's been a big positive for the temple, he is saddened by the fact that like many other remote temples in TN, the HR & CE has taken away the idols of all the Azhvaars and Acharyas and kept it in safe custody far away in another temple. 

His son, Srinivasan, who has spent almost all his life at Shenbagaramanallur,  has been supporting him in recent times.  Like his appa, he too is committed to taking forward the archaka service at this temple.  

Gopalan Bhattar is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of his wife for she had been a pillar of support for him in his temple endeavours. He has one final wish for the temple - he is hoping to build a towering Raja Gopuram. He says that Jagannathan Perumal has fulfilled almost all his wishes at the temple over the last five decades and is confident that he will be able to see the consecration of the Raja Gopuram and the celebration of the acharyas and azhvaars during his life time as he heads back to take care of the devotees on the Saturday morning.