Thiru Kurungudi Thirumalai Nambi Sannidhi

Belonging to the Periya Nambi clan, Ananthan Bhattar is delighted to be back at the Thirumalai Nambi Sannidhi in Mahendra Giri Parvatham 9kms West of Thiru Kurungudi Divya Desam, whose legend relates to the great devotion of Nambaduvan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2009/12/kaisika-puranam-in-thirukurungudi.html). This is also the location where Hanuman is believed to have invoked the blessings of Nambi before his trip to Lanka. Ananthan Bhattar's forefathers had performed service for well over a century at this temple where once wild animals inhabited. As with many priests in remote temples, his appa too found it extremely challenging and moved into the corporate space. Ananthan Bhattar too focused on academics completing his Masters in Maths and later M. Phil as well.

While he was earning well as a lecturer, his mind was constantly on continuing the Kainkaryam of his Thatha at the Thirumalai Sannidhi. His appa’s ill health led him to return to Thiru Kurungudi in the middle of the previous decade and at the same time a shortage of service personnel at the temple presented him with an opportunity to perform archaka Kainkaryam at this Divya Desam. While he had found satisfaction in teaching Maths to students at the Sattur College, he saw this new found opportunity as a gift from Nambi, quit the job as a lecturer and returned to Thiru Kurungudi to take up the Sannidhi Kainikaryam that his grandfather had performed here for many decades.

He has ten days of Kainkaryam every month at Thirumalai Nambi Sannidhi and leaves early morning from his house on West Mada Street in Thiru Kurungudi on the long 9kms trip to the top of the temple. The path to the Sannidhi from the check post continues to be rugged and he walks all the way up the stony route. He also doubles up as the cook at the madapalli.

While it was a lonely period during Covid when he made his way to the Sannidhi all alone, he says that the crowd is back in good numbers now “While there was a certain amount of satisfaction in teaching next gen students, the happiness in performing Kainkaryam at the feet of Thirumalai Nambi is special and unmatched. I consider it as a divine blessing to be able to touch the Lord and perform Thirumanjanam. The Lord has taken good care of me and I feel really good performing Kainkaryam at this Divya Desam.”

Garuda Sevai takes place every Saturday at the Thirumalai Nambi Sannidhi and attracts a sizeable crowd.

For about ten days in the month when he is off service the Malai temple, he also performs madapalli kainkaryam at the Azhagiya Nambi Sannidhi back in Thiru Kurungudi.

Ananthan Bhattar (more popularly known as Mani in the temple circles) is now 46. While he missed a couple of decades of service at the temple when he was in teaching profession, he is delighted to be back performing the Kainkaryam that his forefathers had carried out at this Divya Desam. It is a new found peace and happiness performing this service that is simply unmatched and he is committed to carrying forward the service as an archaka, madapalli cook and a prabhandham ghosti member (even as a school boy, he had been initiated into the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham by his Thatha) for the rest of his life.

Like the young devotee, Sindhu, who has made a move to Thiru Kurungudi in an early phase in her life, the return of Ananthan Bhattar, previous decade, is good news for the historical Divya Desam as it adds to the strength of the service personnel in this remote temple. 

Private vehicles are allowed only till the check post and from there only jeeps are allowed to the topof the hill. Till about a decade ago, there were just around five jeeps to take devotees from Azhagiya Nambi Sannidhi to the Thirumalai Nambi Sannidhi. In the century gone by the archakas, service personnel and devotees walked all the way up the treacherous path in the midst of wild animals. With the devotional wave striking the Divya Desams, crowd has shot up quite a bit. On the Saturdays in Puratasi, devotees throng the Thirumalai Nambi Sannidhi in thousands. In recent years, in line with this devotional wave, the jeeps too have shot up in number and gone up to 30. 

For a long time this had been a very challenging journey from the check post to the Sannidhi but recently industrialist Venu Srinivasan led a renovation of this rugged path and has built a smoother pathway for these jeep rides that the drivers are now grateful for. 

Like in historical times, many devotees continue to walk up the hill carrying a stick along to protect them from the hundreds of monkeys that line up through the entire route. And they have a sacred bath at the falls that is said to have medicinal value before they have darshan at the Sannidhi. 

The jeeps are available till 2pm in front of the Azhagiya Nambi Sannidhi. Charges - Rs. 1500 per trip with six devotees allowed in a jeep. 

Thirumalai Nambi Sannidhi is open from 9.30am to 3pm.