Thittai Raghu has been a dependable cook at the Devathirajan Divya Desam in Therazhundur for over two decades and has committed himself to a lifetime service at this temple
This is a phase in TN temples where madapalli paricharakars are hard to find and those that do come act pricey. In many remote temples including Divya Desams, the priests double up as the madapalli cook as well. The Aamaruviappan temple in Therazhundur is an exception. Srinivasan Bhattar, who has played a major role of the revival of this Divya Desam over the last 15 years, has been blessed to have a dependable and traditional cook for well over two decades.
A relative of TS Rajagopalan Iyengar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/tsr-co-legendary-enterpreneur_19.html), the founder of TSR & Co, Thittai Aravamudhan Srinivasan completed his graduation at the National College Trichy having schooled at the Boys High School, Srirangam. As a water proof technician, he went across the country including to Bombay and Orissa carrying out this professional work for a decade till the late 1990s.
His appa had been in the military and participated in the second world war and later worked in the Railways. Even as a child, Madapalli Raghu, as he is now popularly known in the temple circles, was interested in cooking.
A threatening injury arising out of a fall led him to quitting the job and he decided to spend the rest of his life performing service to a Divya Desam Lord. His aunt resided in Therazhundur and he moved here.
For over two decades, his service at the madapalli has been of immense value to Vasan Bhattar for he has been to focus on archaka service and Thiru Aradhana instead of doubling up as a cook like the priests in many other Divya Desams.
Venkatesh Bhattar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/08/thiru-cherai-venkatesh-bhattar-next-gen.html) who performs archaka service at Saranatha Perumal temple in Thiru Cherai has been experiencing challenges at the madapalli there over the last decade. He told this writer during the Vaikasi Brahmotsavam at Therazhundur that for a long time the priests at the Divya Desam in Thiru Cherai had to double up as the cook at the madapalli leading to extended hours of service. It is only recently that the cook who has been appointed by Venu Srinivasan of TVS (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/07/venu-srinivasan-historical-temples.html) to perform service at the Srinivasa Perumal temple in Kudavasal has agreed to make the sacred food early in the morning and evening at Thiru Cherai ahead of his daily duty at the Kudavasal temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2009/12/kudavasal-srinivasa-perumal.html).
58 year old Raghu is bubbling with energy and the big utsavams like the ten day Brahmotsavam excite him no end. Ahead of the Chariot Festival, he was at the madapalli at 1am this Wednesday to make Chakkarai Pongal Thaligai for the early morning Vishroopam followed by the 5am procession to the Chariot. During Margazhi, he is at the madapalli every morning at 2am through each day of the month. Through the year, he makes food specific to the occasion like for example Upma on Ekadasi. Every evening, he makes Dosai, Vadai and Sundal much to the delight of the devotees who are happy that regular prasadam is being presented to Perumal every day of the year at this remote location.
Lifetime commitment to Aamaruviappan
Given the tough working conditions, his relatives have been pitching with him to quit this service as he also does not take a salary from the HR&CE and performs this purely as a Kainkaryam. He manages to run his life based on the Thaligai Sambhavanai he gets from the devotees for making the sacred food and he is more than happy with that. And he has kept his relatives at bay.
“While I worked hard and earned a lot of money as a technician in the corporate world, the joy of preparing food for a Divya Desam Perumal is unmatched. The love and care of Vasan Bhattar as well as the happiness I find on the faces of the devotees when they taste the prasadam has kept me going here. This is where I intend to spend the rest of my life serving at the feet of Devathirajan and under the care of Vasan Bhattar and now his son Hari Sundar”, says Raghu, with a big smile.
Vasan Bhattar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/09/therazhundur-vasan-bhattar.html) is delighted with the service that Raghu has rendered over the last two decades “My madapalli has been in safe hands for Raghu is very dependable and gets the sacred food ready ahead of time at all utsavams. This has taken away a lot of the anxiety relating to Thaligai away from my thoughts and I have been able to focus on my Kainkaryam.”
Those who perform kainkaryam with commitment and devotion will be forever blessed is what Kannan Bhattar told Vasan Bhattar in the 1980s when his son took charge of archaka service. It is that sincerity of service that has handed Raghu as that dependable cook to this historical Divya Desam, praised by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar.
Not in too many remote Divya Desams do you hear of a madapalli paricharakar who has been in service for over two decades. The Aamaruviappan temple in Therazhundur is an exception on many fronts and the Madapalli Kainkaryam is another service at this Divya Desam that has bucked the recent trend of archakas frantically searching for that elusive cook.
Raghu has been a great asset to this temple and his commitment to perform lifelong service gives great confidence to Vasan Bhattar that one important daily Kainkaryam is in safe and responsible hands.
Kudos to Madapalli Raghu for this Kainkaryam.