The man behind the temple’s remarkable transformation
The Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal in Gunaseelam is now almost unrecognisable from what it was in the 1970s
Having revived all the Utsavams, organised Thirumanjanam every day of the month and undertaken 40 Prarthana Garuda Sevai Processions annually, he is now working on a Master Plan for a ‘Saptha Prakara’
Like all those born in the 1960s and 70s, in the temple circles, Pichumani Bhattar, now 57, too experienced a challenging childhood. He is now the 7th generation descendant managing the Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal temple in Gunaseelam on the Northern Banks of Kollidam, a temple that he has almost single handedly transformed over the last decade or so. His appa, KV Ranganathan Iyengar ,who had taken care of the pooja at the temple for three decades passed away suddenly in his early 50s when Pichumani Bhattar was just about 10. The entire responsibility fell on his young shoulders at a time in the late 1970s when the scenario at the TN temples was at its worst. Most utsavams had come to a halt. Original inhabitants had begun leaving the historical temple towns for larger cities in search of livelihood and the devotee numbers in temples dwindled to its lowest.
Bleak Scenario in the 70s and 80s
In Gunaseelam, the scenario was no different. Most of Pichumani’s cousins, who had hereditary rights at the temple, left the town after completing their academic education into the corporate world. For a brief period, Pichumani Bhattar too laboured thoughts of becoming an auditor and hence took to Commerce but right from the early days, his Thatha, Venkatraman Iyengar, and amma had instilled in him a high sense of devotion and commitment to Venkatesa Perumal and insisted on him continuing the hereditary service without a break.
During the 1980s, he lived a hand to mouth existence with even paying the college (B.Com at National College, Trichy) fees being a challenge. For a large part, it was his uncle Srinivasa Iyengar who took care of the temple that decade. When Pichumani Bhattar turned 20, a transformation within him led him into the temple life and he managed to keep away the temptations of all his cousins who tried to lure him into the corporate world.
Sitting at the trustee’s office at the temple, he told this writer on Friday as to how he took that bold step to get into temple service “It had been a very challenging time in the 1980s. My uncle and I would sit endlessly at the temple entrance but for most part the arrival of the devotee proved elusive. My cousins and uncles told me that there would be no future in temples for priests and that I should join then in the corporate world. But at important moments in my life, I was reminded of my thatha’s and amma’s messages. They always reiterated throughout my childhood that my life should center around Venkatesa Perumal.”
“Whenever a devotee came to the temple, they would remark ‘are you the grandson of the great Venkatraman Iyengar’. They would talk about the great contributions of my thatha and appa and ask me to not let go this temple. That was a great boost to my confidence and inspired me to continue this Kainkaryam.”
He would not even get Rs. 650 for the ten days of his Murai every month in that phase. Each day after his college, he would come to the temple and support his uncle.
“Very often, my amma told me that she held my appa’s hand only because he was so closely attached to Venkatesa Perumal and however big the challenge, I should not let go of the Kainkaryam.”
The few devotees who did turn up reminded him of the great days of his thatha’s Kainkaryam “They would tell me repeatedly as to how happy they were to see Venkatraman Iyengar’s grandson continue this Kainkaryam. He was popular for his Sahasranama archanai and was the one who built the Ther, Garuda Vahana and the front mandapam during his five decades of Kainkaryam.”
Appa's contribution
It was during his appa’s service that the Raja Gopuram was constructed. Ranganathan Iyengar also anchored the Samprokshanam in 1976, one that was blessed by the presence of Maha Periyava and the Vaishnavite Jeers. There was the ongoing threat from the HR & CE to take over the temple but he stood firm and won a legal battle for this family to continue as the hereditary trustee with full control over the temple poojas and administration. It was also his appa who set up the hundial for the first time and created systematic processes at the temple. But soon after he passed away of a heart attack much to the shock of Pichumani who was not yet into his teens.
Pichumani Bhattar learned the agamas and the temple pooja kramas from Salem Santhanam Bhattar for seven years. While initially he took to archaka service, it was in his late 20s that he got into full administration of the temple.
Devotees will one day come in large numbers
There were very minimal Thirumanjanam in those early years and Thattu Kaasu was not enough to manage a household. Into the 1990s, when the challenging times continued at this temple, Pichumani Bhattar undertook an in-depth study of the Bhavishyotra Puranam and found an important message “Devotees would one day come in big numbers to contribute to this temple and support the Thiruppani works”, he told this writer of how this gave him confidence to continue despite the poor financial condition.
“That was the big inspiration for me to continue with this Kainkaryam”,
Reconstructing the Moolavar Sannidhi
Based on this, he undertook a large scale renovation exercise at the turn of the century when he was just in his 30s. The Moolasthanam had gone down by six feet and water would enter the Sannidhi after heavy rains. He recounts the blessed feeling of how he performed something that had not been done earlier in TN temples “Santhanam Bhattar told me that for certain specific reasons, the Moolavar Sannidhi can be reconstructed. We performed Maha Shanthi Homam and moved the Moolavar out of the Sanctum Sanctorum and built the Moolasthanam from scratch bringing up its level to its current height. It was this uplift of the Moolavar Sannidhi that led to a complete transformation of this temple and there has been a huge inflow of devotees ever since.”
As part of this renovation, he built the madapalli, vahana mandapams and kannadi palliyarai.
The Huge Transformation
Following the renovation and the reconstruction of the Moolavar Sannidhi, the temple witnessed a big inflow of devotees. Today, there is a Thirumanjanam almost every day of the year. As part of this positive transformation, there is now an unbelievable 40 Garuda Vahana prarthana processions in the year. He has also created a Sahasra Deepam as part of devotees’ prarthana. The ticket share alone has now gone up to Rs. 10000 for 10 days of the Murai and the archakas easily make around Rs. 50000 during these 10 days with devotees thronging the temple in large number like never before.
Historically, Gnana Varma Chozha had a Go- Shala here and milk was taken from here to his palace. Pichumani Bhattar built a new Go Shala and milk and curd for the daily Thirumanjanam comes from here. He has also created a beautiful nandavanam and flower garlands are presented every day to Perumal from this sacred garden.
Rehab Center for Mentally Challenged
Over the last two decades, Pichumani Bhattar has helped reform the lives of mentally challenged people and has now created a new rehabilitation center at the back of the temple complex. “We now have psychiatric doctors, numbers and full fledged medical facilities to take care of the mentally challenged. The Theertham Prokshanam on them has a transformational effect and we have seen many return to normal lives after visiting this temple.”
He says that working together with Banyan NGO, he is looking to initiate a Home Again programme wherein those relieved from the mental issues can live together as a family in villages around Gunaseelam. He is also looking to convert the Mental Rehabilitation Center as a full fledged hospital.
Revival of Festivals
Pichumani Bhattar has revived the Pavitrotsavam, in Avani and Brahmotsavam, in Puratasi as well as the sacred tank on the eastern side. Theppotsavam takes place on the occasion of Chitra Pournami and Perumal is decorated with Pushpaangi on Vaikasi Visakam
Saturday has turned into a big day at this temple with devotees looking for Theertham Prokshanam, the splashing of the sacred water on them for relief from all their illness. Vilakshana Swami stayed here and created a Pathigam. Every Saturday evening, between 5pm and 6pm, there is a pooja performed for him and the belief is that the recital of this Pathigam will solve devotees’ problems in life.
Temple's annual income up from Rs. 30000 to Rs. 1cr
Almost all his cousins who had gone into the Corporate space in the 1980s and 90s are now back at this temple. There are now ten archakas performing Thiru Aradhanam at this temple and they also work together in unison during the utsavams. Almost all the utsavams have been revived. When Pichumani Bhattar took over the administration of the temple, the annual income was Rs. 30000. Today he proudly says that the income of the temple is Rs. 1crore per year.
A Mega Saptha Prakaram Project
He is now on to a mega project at Gunaseelam and looking to create a Saptha Prakaram at this temple at a cost of Rs. 9crores. Application for this has been sent to the HR & CE. Pichumani Bhattar is readying a Master Plan that he will take up and complete in the next 5-6 years. The Chariot is also being restored now and repair works are currently on. A few of the mandapams too are being renovated on a large scale and that will take about 2-3 years to complete.
Like many other priests across TN temples, Pichumani Bhattar could so easily have gone away from the remote temple space given the huge financial challenges of the 70s and 80s but he chose to stay back and take on the challenges with a high sense of devotion. He is reaping the rewards now for having slogged with great devotional commitment in the 1990s and 2000s capitalising on tge devotional wave that has struck TN temples over the last two decades.
He is now a happy man now with all his cousins and uncles having come back to temple service but he has not forgotten those dark days when the outlook was bleak and the reason for him sticking to this hereditary service “I did not come to this temple for money or income or with any financial desires. My amma asked me not to leave this Kainkaryam and to perform the service at this temple with the fullest commitment. She asked me to have faith in Venkatesa Perumal and gave me the confidence that he would take care of the family.”
“Is it not a great blessing that I have been destined to re-do the entire Moolavar Sannidhi and create a Saptha Prakara at this temple. What more could I have asked for in this life” he says with a sense of great satisfaction in the way the last couple of decades have gone for him at this temple.
Keeping the HR&CE at bay, he has anchored an extraordinary revival in the fortunes of the temple and come to be a role model for running a private temple in Tamil Nadu.
Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal koil in Gunaseelam is located about 25kms North West of Srirangam on the Trichy- Namakkal- Salem highway on the Northern banks of Kollidam near the Upper Anaicut (Mukkombu).
