welcoming new Adhyapaks at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam 2026

Welcoming  new Adhyapaks at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam 2023

 

Today is a significant day – Panguni Punarvasu – Sree Rama Navami.  In the evening there was periya mada veethi purappadu of Sri Ramachandra Murthi on Hanumantha vahanam – and the subject matter of this post is arulicheyal goshti of Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam.

In every walk of life – how would anyone ensure continuance, which is the mother of all challenges :  – propagate the ideals, infuse youth .. .. !  In any group, when youth are inducted, the average age gets reduced, there is progress towards future permanency. 

Life in a divyadesam is always exhilarating – you get to mingle with so many persons who are well educated, well mannered, whose life is entwined in service to Emperuman Sriman Narayana.  There would be purappadu on Uthsava kalams and on pancha parvams too.  There are Battacharyars whose exceptional dedication ensures that Emperuman comes out adorning the choicest of flowers, ornaments, dress and more.  There is the  Veda adhyapaka goshti – hundreds of them chant Nalayira divyaprabandham in front of Emperuman on the streets and  chanting Vedam  after the Perumal.   Of the many kainkaryams, Sripadham thangis are  physically associated too and can be very demanding.   Brahmothsavams are extremely engaging for purappadus take long hours – night purappadu could extend to midnight and next day morning starts too early – well, those in service do not think of sleep but think only of kainkaryam (service). 

Arulicheyal   kainkaryam (chanting of Sri Naalayira divyaprabandham in Temples) flows from Azhwargal, Acaryas, Swami Ramanujar, our Acaryar Manavala Mamunigal .. .. .. and continues to eternity.  Of those rendering ‘arulicheyal kainkaryam’ - Thiruvallikkeni Veda Adhyapaka goshti is extremely organized ~ doing kainkaryam in exceptionally meritorious manner.  In the present goshti, there are at least 2 Swamis (Sri U Ve Kavanur Srinivasaraghavan Swami, Sri Kooram Bashyam Swami)  are more than 90+ and still very regular too; Sri Deivanayagam swami continues to be there everyday braving his ill-health.  Then there Octogenarians, Septugenarians  & Sexagenarians who are adhyapaks.    In Triplicane, the Adhyapaka sabhai has legal sanctity too dating back to century old landmark Madras High Court Judgment of 1923 which categorically spelt out the rights of the Prabhandham Ghosti of Thennacharya Srivaishnavaites. 

My initiation to participating in Nalayira divyaprabandha goshti started in mid 1970s, when  bunch of school going students (close to 100+) were taught Peyalwar’s Moonram thiruvanthathi by MA Venkatakrishnan swami, who himself was a college student those days.  To me personally, it flowed through my maternal grandfather Sri Athichozhamangalam Ramanujachariyar  Swami, a tall personality, who was extremely regular in attending to purappadu and was a muraikarar (who had the privilege of starting goshti on the given day of the week).  When I was young – my grandfather and my mother inculcated the habit of going to sandhai, learning divyaprabandham from MAV and attending thiruveethi purappadu without fail. 

The Arulicheyal Veda Adhyapaka goshti has passed through challenging times a few decades earlier.  When I started going to goshti, it was the imposing presence of U.Ve. Kavalkazhani Ananthacharyar swami, whose voice would resonate be it in purappadu or during thirumanjana kattiyams.  Then there was Ashtagothram Nallan Chakravarthi Parthasarathi Iyengar swami – whose family is in good numbers present in the goshti, especially vedha goshti.   In the early  part  of the 20th century, there were Trustees and some friction led to a case before   the Madras High Court.  In a landmark judgment, an order was passed in 1923 placing the right of appointment of Ghosti members  and for centuries it has been Thennacharya sampradhayam only.      

Those days (in 1970s), chinna mada veethi purappadu would take around 20 minutes and periya mada veethi purappadu approx 45 mins.  As I could remember, the first line was garnished by Sri U.Ve  :  Kavalkazhani Ananthachar swami, Desur Srinivasa iyengar swami, Anantheri Vathiyar, Kanthur vathiyar (fondly kittachi), Kuvalai Ramanujachar, Ashtagothram Parthasarathi Swami,  Athichozhamangalam Ramanujachar (my grand father),Vinjamoor Narasimhachar,  Thirucherai Ramanujachar, Vanamamalai Sampath swami ~  Sri Varadhanarayana iyengar, Vanamamalai Deivanayagam swami, Kooram Bashyam swami .. and more .. .. then there were: Dr VV Ramanujam, Sthalasayanathu Uraiyavar,  Sri NC  Rangarajan,  MA Venkatakrishnan, Vinjamoor Raghavan, Sathish, Rajappa, TA Raghavan,  MS Srinivasan (MS Seenu)  .. .. ..  and more . .. (and all of them encouraged  the children who enthusiastically came for the purappadu) [obviously there are so many swamins who did great kainkaryam  over the period of time – if I had left out some names, please forgive me or put on the comments, so that I can correct and mention appropriately.] 

The average  age of the goshti (more specifically of the Adhyapakas) naturally was getting higher.  Today there has been  initiation of 2 more youngsters – Sri Kuram Ramu & KV Venkat -  inducted as ‘adhyapakas’ at Thiruvallikkeni. [the new 2 are on the extremes L & R]   

The present day list is Sri :  Dr MA Venkatakrishnan Swami, Kavanur Srinivasa Raghavan Swami, Kooram Bashyam Swami, Vanamamalai Deivanayagam swami, NC Rangarajan swami, Ms Sreenivasan Swami, TA Raghavan swami, Venkatachari Swami, Damodharan Swami, Vasu mama,  Thirucherai Ramanujam swami, Kavalkazhani Rajappa swami,  S Krishnan Swami, TA Bakthisaran swami, Vadhyar Narayanan swami  and present addition of Ramu & Venkat today.  

Sri Kuram Ramu is a qualified Chartered Accountant and is 59 now. He has worked in big Corporates.   His father Sri U.Ve. Kuram Bashyam swami is an adhyapakar but at 90+ age is having some difficulties.  Their family (him, brother, two sons – Ramu, Ranga and other relatives) are doing great kainkaryam at the avatharasthalam of Kuresar.

Sri Kavalkazhani Vinjimoor Venkatakrishnan, is younger @ 51.  He is B.Com + MBA and has been regular in kainkaryam at the temple.  Sure, you would have read mention of late Kavalkazhani Ananthachariyar (his father); his elder brother KV Rajagopalan (Rajappa) is an Adhyapak.  Sad to mention that his other brother KV Srinivasan (Hindu photographer Cheena) who did many a kainkaryam passed away in 2023.

Feeling happy that Ramu & Venkat have been inducted as New Adhyapakars.  Good to say that they have initiated their next generation also into kainkaryam. 

adiyen Srinivasa dhasan

Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
27.3.2026