Giri Bhattar's forefathers came to Mylapore from Vandavasi in the 1550s and have been performing archaka service at the Kesava Perumal temple for almost 500 years
Srinivasarangan (Giri) Bhattar is 30. Over the last 15 years, he has been carrying on the hereditary archaka service that has been performed by his forefathers at the Kesava Perumal temple in Mylapore from the 1550s. At various points in time, the family have been in serious financial situations but the message that has been passed on through generations has been the same ‘Believe in Mayuravalli Thayar’ and ‘Perform archaka kainkaryam with sincerity’.
A lot in the current generation have moved away from archaka service into the corporate world but for Giri Bhattar, the only thing that he is reminded of everyday is the message from his Thatha Veera Raghava Bhattar (popularly known as 'Chellapillai') who performed kainkaryam for almost seven decades and who passed away during the Pandemic. “I would sit with Thatha and listen to the stories about his grandparents and the way they lived their lives” Giri Bhattar told this writer at the location opposite the Kesava Perumal temple where several generations of this family have resided.
Kainkaryam as the only way of life
He recalls two unforgettable stories that Veera Raghava Bhattachar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/veera-raghava-bhattar-kesava-perumal.html) narrated to him when he was young “Over 125 years ago, a financially rich businessman from North Madras was handing out 4gm gold coins to the Brahmins in this village (Madras). My Thatha’s thatha – Srinivasa Varada Bhattar - performed archaka kainkaryam from the 1870s till the 1930s. The family was experiencing financial challenges in that phase and my ellu patti asked him to go to Parry’s and collect the Sambhavanai.”
It would have been reasonable for Srinivasa Varada Bhattar to have gone and collected the gold for it was being donated to the Brahmins performing service but Giri Bhattar’s ellu thatha refused and told his wife that he would not let go of Kainkaryam to Mayuravalli that day. It would have taken a great deal of time to go to Parrys and return back to Mylapore in those days.
Tears roll down Giri Bhattar’s cheeks as he narrates what happened in the second half that day “My ellu thatha was sitting at the Mayuravalli Thayar Sannidhi when a group of devotees from North India visited the temple. They had been to Thiruvallikeni earlier in the day and were now visiting the avathara sthalam of Pey Azhvaar. Pleased with the Kainkaryam of my Thatha, they placed 8gms gold in the Thattu which was double of what the North Madras businessman was handing out that day in Parrys. He came home and told my ellu patti as to how Mayuravalli blesses archakas who perform kainkaryam with complete devotion.”
Giri Bhattar says that his thatha, Veera Raghava Bhattar, constantly reminded him of this story to instill in him the importance of unflinching faith in Mayuravalli Thayar “My Thatha would often say that Kesava Perumal has a 1000eyes and keeps total watch on us every minute of the day. And he would not let go easily those that stray away from the dharmic path but Mayuravalli is full of Karunai and that she is always considerate and hence we should fully surrender to her and perform our service with utmost sincerity.”
Chellapillai Veera Raghava Bhattar
Wouldn't eat without presenting Thaligai to Kesava
On another occasion, just under a century ago, there was a death in the far corner of the Sannidhi street and Thiru Aradhanam could not performed and Thaligai presented to Perumal for almost 36 hours “My Ellu Thatha (Srinivasa Varada Bhattar) did not eat anything in that period because his way of life was such – he would not eat food without presenting the Thaligai to Perumal. They were steadfast in their faith and lived their entire life in the belief that complete devotion to ‘Kesava and Mayuravalli’ was the only way of life and there was no compromise permissible in the way they performed kainkaryam at this temple.”
Giri Bhattar’s forefathers moved from Vandavasi to Madras around the 1550s and came to reside in the Sannidhi Street in front of the Kesava Perumal temple ‘When the financial situation was really bad, my great grandfather Kesava Bhattar went to the Parthasarathy temple in Thiruvallikeni as a support priest (during his non service days in the month at the Kesava Perumal temple). With the income generated during his Kainkaryam there, he performed the Deepavali utsavam at the Kesava Perumal temple.”
Born to perform Kainkaryam
The thought that this Vaikanasa Bhattar clan has been born only to perform archaka service to Perumal and Thayar had been instilled in Giri Bhattar right from the time he was five years old “Instead of learning the alphabets at Chellammal School, I learned the slokas. When a traditional event was held at Sivaswamy Kalalaya, I donned the Hanuman Thirukolam and won a prize. Similarly, when my teacher at school asked how it rains, I said that Lord Varuna throws water from the sky in a Jug. My early life was almost completely centered around Kesava Perumal and Bhakthi towards him. Hence I related everything in life to the concept of devotion and kainkaryam.”
He says from being an academically poor student in early school, he managed good marks in Class X and XII and completed his graduation in commerce from the Vivekananda college. He later went on to a degree in law. His thatha and appa had lived through poverty and there were days when there was no money at home to even eat a meal. During the Pandemic, when his thatha passed away due of Covid, there was not enough money to even perform the last rites and the monthly Kaaryams but Giri Bhattar says that Kesava and Mayuravalli have always shown the way and helped them come of all kinds of challenges.
The previous consecration had taken place 20 years ago and the temple is currently seeing a restoration exercise with Thiruppani works having started in the second half of last year. The consecration is expected to take place later this year by when it is hoped that the temple will wear a new and fresh look.
Taking forward the Hereditary Service into the next phase
Given the current scenario in temples, Giri Bhattar will continue to don the role of an advocate in the foreseeable future but as has been way of this family over the last 500 years, Giri Bhattar is clear that his first and foremost duty in this life is to perform Kainkaryam at the Kesava and Mayuravalli Sannidhis at the Kesava Perumal temple in Mylapore. There are challenges for archakas relating to hereditary service in temples but Giri Bhattar is confident that with the blessings of 'Mayuravalli', he will be able to continue this five centuries old tradition during his life time. At this young age, he has been able to captivate the minds of the devotees with his sincerity and committed service. He says that he will endeavour to perform Kainkaryam in a way to not spoil that regard the devotees seem to currently have for him as a devoted archaka.