Many are the cousins and nephews and nieces, aunts and uncles of mine in America and New Zealand … first and second generation immigrants who have lived abroad for many decades now . Although geographically we live on two ends of the planet, thanks to WhatsApp we all still manage through frequent messaging interactions to somehow remain a close-knit and affectionate family .
Sometimes the family interactions do however turn a little contentious while sharing views on certain general social and religious issues and events. The heat generated then in the discourse rises in temperature just a wee little bit. Since I happen to be the eldest of my cousins, often the matter gets to be adjudicated by me and if I feel I must not miss the opportunity to do so , I do speak my mind forthrightly.
This morning one of them from America messaged to the group a rather provocative comment which set off immediately an exchange of views across continents and islands across the globe . It was a very topical issue abd important enough I thought to warrant sharing it here verbatim on my web page as a blogpost.
So here we go below with it (I’ve not bothered to edit it in any way).
Cousins from America and New Zealand:
1. I know the following thoughts would be like casting a stone across the water to create many ripples of uproar nonetheless this thought struck me :
I understand that Utsava Murthi are placed on an wooden plank then the devotees on either side have the pole on their respective shoulders but I don’t feel it is right for the 🙏🏼 priests and/or other people sitting on them while a human like any of them is on the ground barefoot in any weather condition has to carry them too ~ well, then this is like rickshaw in Kolkata .. !
2. “Good exercise 😀for those carrying the rotund Archakars!”
3. https://youtu.be/F-Xj90zG13k?si=AzOMgRPphN3xUIGm …. This is why even Adi Shankara started walking 😊
4.After listening to this dialogue ah?? 🧐🧐… Yes , barathiraja main reason
A Cousin in Chennai, India
1. Even I have always felt so . Paavam, these SPT give their soul and life to lift the uthsaVa murthi and the heavy rods on their shoulders, what are these gundu gundu priests doing sitting on such platforms. 😭😭 Some empathy pl
2. One or two of the priests can hold the perumal sitting on the planks. Rest all should get down and walk with the veda goshties, is my humble opinion.
3. More the archakas on the dias, more the money they all get and hence share it among themselves.. people do contribute lots in the thattu.. this is being shared by them..
4. Onnum solla Theriyala..
Kanchi le veyyil samayathle so many of them carrying the perumal…paaka varitgama irukkum
5. Especially on the garuda sevai day …many of giris cousins also do this kainkaryam.. shoulders ellaam kaaichi poi irukkum gundaa aaidum
6. 🙏🏻🙏🏻 my heart goes to them, but it’s not in a great position to carry heavy loads. And of course ladies aren’t allowed to do these sort of kainkaryams
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After observing all the above WhatsApp messages flying about , I thought it fit for me to step in to interject with my own perspective on the matter. This is what I told my dear American and New Zealander cousins:
Dear (my cousin in Chennai)…
Your “empathy” for “pallak kainkaryapaara-s” is not misplaced . But you who I know are well acquainted with the cultural background and traditions of our temples and so I thought you would know much better than our cousins in America and New Zealand .
- No one is forcing these temple servitors to undertake this special “kainkaryam”. They mostly volunteer themselves to do this duty as a way of their being able to offer personal worship . For some , it is also fulfillment of a vow … “vratam”.
- In all cases they all receive from the temple adequate “dakshina” – fair compensation in terms of money, grocery and “Vaastra” not to mention Bhagavath Prasadam. None of them is ever let go by the temple priests without due “maryaadai” .
- Also , you must understand that these “palanquin bearers” (“sripada thaangeegal”) are not made to shoulder the palanquin burden continuously. They work as a tag team. A few carry the Lord for a few furlongs . Then another batch of carriers takes over from them … and so on . So, there is fair and humane and efficient division of labour .
- Most of the palanquin bearers are able-bodied . The old and the weak and the ill are not assigned these tasks by the temple authorities . So, to talk of “goondu rotund Archakas” getting a free tyrannical ride on the shoulders of Kolkatta rickshaw-pullers is simply nothing but ridiculous Woke comments.
- Also , there is another good reason why a few Archakas ride alongside the Deity on the palanquin. There is a grave security dimension to it. The deity idols are all bedecked with precious and priceless jewellery and gemstones …. All that have been handed down through the generations from time immemorial . While the procession is being taken around on the “purappaadu”, there has to be tight supervision over the jewels … nothing should loosen and fall off … And more importantly, any wayside theft attempts by any lurking criminals or social elements along the way must also be deterred. So, that is why a few well- built “goondu rotund Archakas” ride the palanquin . They fulfill dual critical tasks : priestly and personal special security.
Let me say that we live in a free country … our Hindu religion is a humanistic faith . Our customs have been observed for centuries …. Our ancestors were not slave-drivers or fools. So let’s not ape the western commentators who only know how to go on distorting and ridiculing our religious and temple practices .
It will be a sad day indeed if even our own Hindu youngsters in the diaspora of US , NZ, out of ignorance of our culture and history, also begin to parrot out mechanically like their Wokeist interlocutors the same misinformation and liberal-secular sentiments .
At least you and I, who know a little better about our temple customs than our cousins and relatives abroad, should not subscribe to these mischievous malignant views .
Sudarshan
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The cousin in Chennai messaged back as follows:
Thanks for the eye opening explanation.
I am not saying that our archakaas should not be seated in the platform, but i felt some of them can restrain from getting onto the dias.
This has been a very old tradition and people keep following this ..
No doubt about the sripadam thaangigal being provided well by the temple authorities by way of cash and other stuff.. About which i am well aware of. They do it voluntarily..
They are forced to hold the murthies tightly to avoid any mishaps.
But why so many of them on the dias, is what I felt bad abt
And my my parting rejoinder was this :
Who are we to decide the number ?Leave the priestly matters to the priests . Let’s not become HRCE commissars and poke our noses into religious temple affairs, shall we ?
But yes, one has to agree that there must be temple guidelines on the eligibility regarding which rank of Archakas and the maximum numbers who should ascend the palanquin along with the deity.
In Kanchipuram for instance there was a skirmish between archakas and vahanam bearers a few years ago when the bearers refused to do their service since too many archakas were riding on top of the vahanam.
A very dear and knowledgeable friend of mine Sriman IVK Chary , a devotee of Kanchi Varadaraja Swami temple, has messaged me regarding these guidelines :
There is justification for umbrella bearers on vahanam. I don’t think there is a need for multiple number of archakas mounting the vahanam just to show the Harathi thattu to the deity. I have not seen this in Nellore Ranganatha swamy temple where during Brahmotsavams the deity visits the home of ubhayakarta located at quite a distance. The archakas walk along. This is so in Tiruvahindrapuram too. Even in Mylapore Srinivasa Perumal temple archakas do not mount the vahanam. When the deity is in palanquin or thonukkiniyan, they walk along whatever be the distance. This is so even in Kanchi temple.
In kanchipuram, five Archakas in all, two for umbrellas and 3 others on all vahanams except Garuda sevai used to be allowed wherein in the latter one more was allowed. This is for the varadar sannidhi. For other temples, only one archaka sits on the vahanam. This is the norm in practice for a long time.
For example, during Seevaram paarvettai, thennery theppam, Rajakula theppam, Chitra Pournami palar ooral Utsavam, Nachhiyar thirukkolam on 5th day Brahmotsavam archakas and paricharaka walk all the distance.
Even in Triplicane when Parthasarathi Perumal comes to Ekkaduthangal for ooral Utsavam, archakas walk along.
In Tirumala where karpoora Harathi is shown to the deity at multiple places along mada veedhi for the benefit of scores of devotees sitting there, just one archaka on top of the vahanam is seen to suffice. Thattu harathis can be shown from down below as is being done when the deity is in tholukkiniyan.
In conclusion, my own view is that temple administrations must be sensitive to the public perception of this matter . Therefore , they must set very clear and strict guidelines for who and how many Archakas are allowed to go atop the vaahanam.
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(End of WhatsApp exchange)
Sudarshan Madabushi