Srirangam Temple JC Mariappan

It is 9pm on Thursday (Dec 19) evening. Most of the devotees have left the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam after darshan but for the Joint Commissioner J Mariappan work has just started. He is on rounds checking the infrastructure at the temple. Within months of removal of shops at the Ranga Vilas Mandapam and in front of Natha Muni and Chakrathazhvaar Sannidhi, development works have begun and are running at a fast pace (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/08/srirangam-temple-popular-shops-shut-down.html). The place where shops had been selling pooja items for decades has now been converted to a mother’s feeding room, legal dept and a library. The place around the Natha Muni Sannidhi will soon be home to Tulabaram.

"Devotees wanting to present rice and jaggery found it challenging to carry the things all the way past Garuda Sannidhi to the Tulabaram room. Hence to make it easier for them, the Tulabaram center is being shifted to Therku Vaasal near the Natha Muni Sannidhi", the JC told this writer near the Garuda Sannidhi.

In March this year, for the first time in several decades he closed the ticket counter at 7.30pm on Panguni Uthiram day letting go of revenue with his sole focus being on getting the Chariot to start on time the next morning. For years, the Serthi Sevai continued late into the night delaying the Chariot procession. JC Mariappan took a strong call of foregoing ticket collection and getting the Thirumanjanam to start on time on the Panguni Uthiram night. 

He speaks with a lot of clarity on what he sees as his role as the EO of this large temple “I am not here to fight and solve internal politics. I have been paid a salary for this role and I want to work as hard and as sincerely as possible to justify the salary. I want to look at key issues that devotees face at this temple and try to make it easy for them and a happy experience”, he told this writer.

This writer had met the JC for the first time on the Krishna Jayanthi and it was well past 9pm that evening as well when he was still deep into his work. With the additional responsibility now bestowed on him of managing the Thanjavur and Pudukottai temples, JC Mariappan’s days have been long and hard in the recent past but he sees it as his daily role to discharge his duty to the best of his ability. 

He is also keeping a close watch on the Eastern Gopuram on East Adayavalanjan street that had been severely damaged last year. He told this writer that the same devotee from Coimbatore building the Raja Gopuram at Thiru Vellarai Divya Desam is taking care of the restoration of this Gopuram as well. The road from the Srirangam railway station towards Vellai gopuram has been cut off at East adayavalanjan following the orders from the collector "It will take at least another year for the Gopuram to be restored given the extent of the damage to its structure.”

JC Mariappan is happy that the Raja Gopuram work at Thiru Vellarai is moving a good pace (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/11/thiru-vellarai-new-raja-gopuram-by-end.html).“The third tier of the seven tier Tower has been completed and construction is progressing as per plan. The Raja Gopuram had seen a lot of hurdles and now that we have got all the approvals and the basic structure has been strengthened, we want to ensure that the entire construction is strong. It will take at least another year for it to be completed”, he said.

The restoration of the Vadivazhagiya Nambi Divya Desam in Anbil undertaken by Venu Srinivasan has been completed (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/04/venu-srinivasan-anbil-nambi-temple.html). He is pleased with the way the temple has been restored to its historical best. "We have to finalise the date of the consecration and expect this to take place in February", JC Mariappan told this writer even as his staff are waiting near the Garuda Sannidhi for his next order late into this Thursday evening.

He tells them that he will be back at the temple the next morning at 8am for the Vaikunta Ekadasi related meeting with the Collector and asks the team to be on time. 

There are a number of internal challenges within the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam but JC Mariappan is unflustered about these. He focuses on developmental activities that will benefit the devotees at large. He has remained non-controversial over the last 15 months and says that he is not here to fight with activists or with the kainkaryaparas of the temple. 

"Till the time I am at this huge temple, I want to remain focussed on developmental activities and not on controversies" says the JC.

This writer had earlier this week written a story on the non appointment of trustees in TN temples including in Srirangam and asks the JC on the status “That’s for the Government to decide but we will welcome back Venu Srinivasan with both hands and this temple will benefit a lot if the TVS Chief agrees to the role again for he had played a remarkable part in the restoration earlier”, the JC tells this writer even as he rushes back to attend to his next work late on  Thursday night.

Will Venu Srinivasan, who had transformed the temple infrastructure with his restoration exercise a decade ago, don the role of CBT again(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/11/venu-srinivasan-srirangam-temple.html). 

This section will track the developments.