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Swami Saranam,Om Namo Narayanaya
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History of
SREE AYYAPPA BHAKTHA SABHA
&
Mahalingapuram
Ayyappan Guruvayurappan Temple
About five decades ago, there existed in the Chennai
metropolis no temple dedicated exclusively to Lord Ayyappa. In the absence of
any institutionalized service, devotees proceeding to Sabarimala during the
Mandalam-Makaravilakku seasons had to fend for themselves. Indeed, Ayyappan Vilakku
used to be conducted in several areas of the City as an annual feature,
enlisting the support of local devotees. One such area was Nungambakkam.
Here the annual Ayyappan Vilakku used to be conducted
in the premises of a temple on Melpadi MuthuNaicken Street or in the precincts
of AsalathammanKoil, later on North Mada Street in Nungambakkam. During the celebrations in 1967 the
organizers, seized of the problems encountered by the devotees undertaking
pilgrimage to the Holy Hills, decided to launch an action plan to provide
minimum facilities to them. Leading
lights including Sarvasri P.B. Nair, R.S. Kaimal, K. Bhaskaran, C.P.G. Nambiar,
T.M. GopalaKurup, V.S. Mani Iyer, etc. were in the forefront.
The plan referred to above, took concrete shape with
the registration of SREE AYYAPPA BHAKTHA SABHA, Nungambakkam on April 3, 1968
with Sri P.B. Nair as President, Sri R.S.Kaimal as Secretary, Sri K. Bhaskaran
as Joint Secretary, and Sri V. Sankaran Nair as Treasurer, and seven others as
members of the Executive Committee. The
declared objectives of the Sabha were: (a) to spread the cult of Ayyappa by
doing selfless socio-religious services, (b) to endeavour to have a premises of
its own to perform religious activities as programmed from time to time; (c) to
render all possible help to pilgrims who take vow to go to Sabarimala for
Mandalam, Makaravilakku and for the Vishu Pooja; (d) to include in its
socio-religious services, items like (i) performing periodical poojas, bhajans,
AyyappanPattu and other religious and social programmes; (ii) organize and
celebrate with the co-operation of all Ayyappa Bhakthas the annual “Ayyappan Vilakku”
in Nungambakkam; (iii) and conduct religious discourses with a view to help
Bhakthas to practice “Bhakthi Yoga”.
To start with, the Sabha functioned from a small room
at 34 Village Road, Nungambakkam – belonging to Sri C.P.G. Nambiar, - and later
from 21-A North Mada Street, Nungambakkam. In line with the objectives, the
Sabha conducted periodical discourses on Narayaneeyam, Bhagavatham, Ramayanam
in Malayalam, Tamil and English. The
first discourse was conducted in 1968 by Sri P.D.M. Namboodiri at the
AryaVaidyasala premises on Krishnamachari Road, Nungambakkam. This was followed
by a series of discourses in 1969, by Sri Thattayoor Unni Namboodiripad,
Srivatsa Jayarama Sharma, on Bhagavatham, Narayaneeyam, etc. at Agastheeswarar Koil
premises.
Inspired by the response to the discourses and to the
weekly Bhajans organized by the Sabha, the members felt that it was time that
they looked for a place of their own to conduct such programmes in more
conducive environments. In order to
raise funds for this venture, a grand Ganamela was conducted in November 1969
at Rama Raod Kalamandapam, T. Nagar, in which several luminaries of the musical
world like K.J. Yesudas, Jayachandran, C.O. Anto, A.L. Raghavan, P.Leela, S.
Janaki, Latha, etc. took part. Sri V.Dakshinamoorthy, the renowned music
director, directed the programme and Sri Sekhar led the Orchestra. The net
collection at the concert amounted to Rs.15,000/- then. Sri V.K. Eradi who
presided over the function mentioned about the desire of the Sabha to possess a
piece of land where they could hold spiritual programmes at will. Lady
Madhavan Nair who was present at the function immediately responded,
saying that a plot measuring two and half grounds in Madhavan Nair Colony (part
of Mahalingapuram, Nungambakkam, was available and that she could consider
donating it to the Sabha provided an assurance was given that a temple for Lord
Ayyappa would be constructed there. The assurance was promptly given and Lady
Madhavan Nair graciously gifted the land to the Sabha. The part played by late Sri N.P. Prabhakaran
Nair, who was an Engineer-Contractor and a close confidant of Justice Madhavan
Nair and Lady Madhavan Nair in whose name the colony was named after, cannot be
forgotten.
On January 26, 1970, a Sthala SudhiPooja was performed at the site by the then
Thanthri (High Priest) of Chottanikkara temple. A small office room was constructed.
Bhajans were being held at the venue every Saturday evening which attracted
about 40 to 50 participants, mainly children from the neighbourhood. A plan for
the construction of the temple was got prepared by Sri Kanippayyoor Sankaran Namboodiri
in February 1970 and the civil works were entrusted to Engineer Sri T.G.
Poduval. The granite works were executed by Sri SubramaniaSthapathy. Granite
stones for this purpose were specially brought from Pattumalaikuppam.
A Panchaloha Vigraham of the Lord was made at
Chengannur and brought to the site in a procession led by Sri K.K. Nanu.
Brahmasri Kantaru Sankararu Thanthri who held the great distinction of having
performed the Pranaprathishta at Holy Sabarimala temple, after the fire
accident in the 1950s, conducted the Prathishta ceremony in our temple on March
25, 1974. Kumbhabhishekam was performed on March 28, 1974. With Lord Ayyappan
as the main deity, Lord Vinayakar and Lord Subramanian with His consorts, Valli
and Devayani, constituted the Parivaram. A mandapam with asbestos roofing in
the front yard provided shelter for the devotees, who by then, had started
pouring in large numbers. The daily worship and rituals were (and are being)
conducted in traditional Kerala style. Namboodiri priests for conducting pooja
and Marars for performing Vadyam and Kazhagam were brought from Kerala. The
Thanthri prescribed that annual Utsavam at the temple should be performed in
the Malayalam month of Dhanu, commencing with Kodiyettam on Makeeram star and
concluding with Arattu on Uthram star.
Thus was born the first temple dedicated to Lord
Ayyappa in the city of Chennai. This long-cherished dream of the devotees was
fructified through munificent donations received from well-wishers, door to
door collections organized by volunteers, revenue realized through the
publication of Souvenirs, etc. The service rendered in this regard by Sri V.K.
Eradi – President, Sri R.S. Kaimal – Secretary and their team of dedicated
colleagues including Sarvasri K.V. Thankappan Nair, K. Bhaskaran, K.K. Nanu, K.
Balakrishnan, K.C. Menon, V.S. Mani Iyer, T.M. GopalaKurup, M.P. Govind, G.K.
Nair, M.K.P. Nair, C.P.G. Nambiar, etc. remain etched in golden letters in the
history of this temple.
After the opening of the temple, Vazhipadus were being
performed regularly, right from 1974, facilities like Maladharanam, Kettunira
and subsidiary services were being provided to devotees proceeding to
Sabarimala during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku and also for Vishu and monthly
Poojas. Daily Annadanam (initially for students of the nearby Corporation
Schools, later extended to poor people in the neighbourhood) also commenced in
1974. During the same year Sri K.
Gopinath (affectionately called Gopichettan) assumed charge as the first Hon.
Executive Officer of the temple. The Executive Committee of the Sabha was
constituted through annual elections (now once in three years).
In June 1975, the first floor of the office building
was constructed and occupied. That year the Sabha took up the humanitarian task
of supplying note books and uniforms to the under-privileged sections of
students in the Corporation Schools for boys and girls in Nungambakkam, which
continues unabated till date as an annual feature. This has now been extended
to the students of an UP School in
Kattur-Venbedu Village, near Tirupporur. The students are selected on
merit-cum-means basis by the school authorities themselves. Scholarships and
cash awards are also given to the best outgoing students of these schools.
During 1976 the Executive Committee decided to
construct a Gopuram and a Nadappura. In order to raise funds for this purpose
another Ganamela was conducted in the University Centenary Auditorium in
October 1976. Necessary plans for the proposed construction were obtained from
Sri Kanippayyur Krishnan Namboodiri. However, actual construction could be
commenced only in February 1978. The massive gopuram door made at Kozhikode was
transported to the site in November 1980.
In the meantime, the Sabha launched a Medical Mission
in aid of the poor and the needy. The
mission was inaugurated by H.E. Sri PrabhudasPatwari, Governor of Tamil Nadu on
July 11, 1977. To start with, the Mission functioned in a rented premises at
Periyar Road, Kodambakkam. Dr. SaralaBalakrishnan rendered free medical advice
daily from10.00 a.m. to 12 noon. Later
in December 1980 the Sabha shifted the Medical Mission to its own premises in
Pushpanagar, Nungambakkam. A well-equipped clinical laboratory and a Diagnostic
Centre with modern facilities were set up at the Mission Centre in July 1982. A
spacious new building for the Mission came into existence on February 1, 1986
and the magnificent Sasthalaya Hospital with facilities for in-patient and
out-patient treatment, preventive health care, state-of-the-art devices for
diagnosis and patient care, etc. was inaugurated on April 14, 1996.
The plan for the installation of a Dhwajasthambham in
re-inforced cement concrete was approved in September 1979 and the work was
entrusted to Sri T.G. Poduval - our Architect and Engineer. The
Dhwajaprathishta to Lord Ayyappan and Vigraha Prathishta of Malikappurathamma
were performed on June 25, 1980 followed by Maha Kumbhabhishekam on June 28,
1980. MahaKumbhabhishekam of Rajagopuram and a Sahasrakalasa Abhishekam were
performed on June 3, 1984 by Brahmasri Neelakantaru Thanthri who had assumed
charge as our Thanthri, consequent to the demise of Brahmasri Kantaru Sankararu
Thanthri on January 9, 1983. A library
consisting of books on religious subjects and spiritualism was declared open by
Sri H.V. Hande, Hon'ble Minister of Health, Govt. of Tamil Nadu on March 26,
1985. The Thazhikakkudams (stupikas) of the Sreekovils and Rajagopuram were
gold-plated and re-installed on December 6, 1985.
The first Bhagavatha Sapthaham was conducted in the
temple by Sri Anjam Krishnan Namboodiri during the week commencing from October
11, 1987. Sapthaham offering became an annual feature thereafter.
The plot adjacent to the temple premises measuring two
and half grounds was purchased by the Sabha in 1986. Foundation for a temple
for Lord Guruvayurappan was laid at the site on June 4, 1989. The unique idol
of Lord Guruvayurappan made in Krishna sila, at Guruvayur was brought to the
site on May 24, 1990 in a grand motorcade with the Vigraham in a tastefully
decorated float. Prathishta Karmam was performed on June 4, 1990 by our
Thanthri (late) KantaruNeelakantaru.
That marked the fulfillment of yet another great dream of the devotees.
While Laksharchana was being performed every year, the
first KotiArchana Mahayagnam to Lord Ayyappa was performed from November 15,
1986 to December 14, 1986. Subsequent Koti Archanas were performed as
follows: 1992 to Lord Guruvayurappan;
1997 to Lord Ayyappan; 1998 to Lord
Guruvayurappan; 1999 to Lord Ayyappan
and 2000 to Lord Guruvayurappan.
The desire of the Sabha to bring out a spiritual
magazine for the benefit of devotees and discerning public was fulfilled with
the launching of Pushpabhishekam in 1989. The first issue was released by
Justice K.S. Bhakthavalsalam on November 10, 1989. Started as a quarterly, the magazine was soon
converted as a monthly periodical.
Twenty acres of land were purchased by the Sabha at
Kattur-Venbedu Village (near Thirupporur) in 1986-87 to which eight more acres
were added through piecemeal purchase between 1990 and 1998. A pucca building
measuring 1400 sq.ft.in area was constructed there.
A full-fledged information Centre of Travancore
Devaswom Board was opened within our temple complex on July 31, 1993.
Idols of Nagaraja and Nagayakshi were installed in the
temple premises on March 25, 1998. Yet
another major dream of the devotees came to fruition with the installation of
Swarna Kodimarams at the Sannidhis of Lord Ayyappan and Lord Guruvayurappan.
Simultaneous installation of gold-plated Dhwajasthambhams at two sannidhis in
the same temple complex was a unique achievement, perhaps not accomplished
elsewhere hitherto. Gold-plating of the two Dhwajasthambhams was carried out by
expert technicians at the cost of Rs.75 lakhs. The Prathishta and
Kumbhabhishekam of the Swarna Dhwajams for Sree Ayyappan and Sree Guruvayurappan
at the Mahalingapuram Temples were performed on the morning of 25th February
2004 by the Thanthri of Sabarimala, Brahmasree Kantaru Mohanaru, under the
immediate guidance of the Senior High Priest of Sabarimala Thanthri Brahmasree Kantaru
Neelakantaru of ThazhamonMadom. The Thazhikakudoms on top of all the Sreekovils
as well as both the Gopurams were also gold plated and Kumbhabhishekam was
performed for them too.
While the 'Spiritual Study Circle' conducting
Sampoorna Narayaneeya Parayanam every month and also on special occasions at
the Temple, Bhagavatham and Narayaneeyam Sapthahams, discourses on
Narayaneeyam, Ramayanam, Gita, etc. (in Malayalam, Tamil and English) were
being conducted periodically. Yet another important and spiritual event the
SABHA could venture into was organizing annual 'Srimad Bhagavatha Sathrams'.
The 1st Srimad Bhagavatha Nava Sathram was conducted (first time in Tamil Nadu)
under the auspices of the Sabha from February 3, 2012 to February 12, 2012 at
the SOPANAM Hall adjacent to the Temple complex. Over 35 Acharyas under Mukhya Yagnacharyan
Brahmasri Venmani Krishnan Nambudiripad and other eminent scholars,
participated and gave Prabhashanams in the Sathra Yagnam. The 2nd Srimad Bhagavatha
Navaha
Sathram was conducted from
16th to 24th February 2013 – again with Brahmasri Venmani Krishnan Nambudiripad
as Mukhya Yagnacharyan and over 30 Acharyas participating. The 3rd Srmad Bhagavatha
MahaSathram, which was an 'Ekadasaham', was conducted from 29th January to 9th
February 2014 with Bramhasri Thottam Shyam Namboodiri as MukhyaAcharyan and
over 25 Acharyas participating. In deference to the wishes of the devotees and
other well-wishers, we have decided to conduct the Sathrams regularly as an
annual event.
While the Sabha continued with its
religious/spiritual, social and charitable activities, it took up several other
projects also.
Ornamental
Arch: An
Ornamental Arch was constructed by the Sabha at the inter-junction of
Mahalingapuram Main Road-40 Feet Road (Scheme Road). This was inaugurated by Dr. M.
Balamuralikrishna on 26th March 2006, in the presence of Brahmasri Kantaru
Mohanaru Thanthri.
Sopanam: SOPANAM Hall constructed by the Sabha
at the site adjacent to the temple complex, was inaugurated on 17.08.2006 by
Sri R. Gopinathan Nair (ADGM, S. Rly) and Dr. V. Mohan, Chairman, Dr. Mohan’s
Diabetes Specialities Centre. This Hall
is being used for conducting ‘Sapthahams’, “Sathrams” and various other
functions, and also for conducting marrtiages.
Staff
Quarters: 10 flats constructed on the 2nd
floor of Sopanam building were allotted to our employees for their
accommodation.
20th Anniversaery of the
Temple Magazine PUSHPABHISHEKAM was celebrated on 12.07.2009 Eminent personalities, like Dr. H.V. Hande
(former Health Minister), Sri T.V. Venkataraman, IAS (Retd) and Dr. Suvarna Nalapad,
were special invitees on the occasion. A
Special Issue of Pushpabhishekam was released at that function.
Prominent among the widely
appreciated services is extending assistance/advice to people in performing
obsequies and the connected rituals. A
‘Karmi” has been appointed specially for this purpose. This special and free service started in 2011
by the Sabha is widely utilized by people in and around Chennai.
Every year, facilities for Karkitaka Vavu Bali Tharpan at Marina
Beach, are provided by the Sabha.
Thousands of people have been availing this free service (under the
supervision of our Karmi). This was also
started from 2011.
Free Marriage Data Bank is
functioning from Sopanam Hall.
Guruvayur Guest House – owned by SABS
– provides facilities for their short-stay in Guruvayur. It has 8 spacious rooms, and is very near to
the Guruvayur Temple.
Gold-covering
of Sreekovil Roofs:
As early as in 2004, devotees and
well-wishers of the MahalingapuramAyyappan-Guruvayurappan Temples expressed a
desire to told-plate the Sreekovil roofs of the main Sannidhanams (Ayyappan and
Guruvayurappan) and also the Sannidhanams of Vinayaka, Murugan and Devi As the project proposed involved investment
of huge funds and since the funds of the temple have already been drained out
as a result of installation of the golden Dhwajasthambhams, the idea was
shelved then. However, the long felt
urge of the devotees – and also our commitment to cover the roofs of the
Sreekovils with gold, continued to persist, and finally we were inclined to
have a second and closer look at the issue.
The contract for gold-plating was
finally awarded to Sri Balakrishnan of Vishwakarma Metals, Madurai, who was
associated with the gold-plating of the two Dhwajasthambhams in 2004. After obtaining ‘Anugnya’ from our Thanthri,
the work was started on 03.03.2014. Thus
the long-cherished desire of the devotees of MahalingapuramAyyappan-Guruvayurappan
Temples became a reality when our Thanthri Brahmasri Kantaru Maheswararu along
with Brahmari Kantaru Rajeevaru and Brahmasri Mahesh Mohanaru of Thazhaman Madom
– the Hereditary High Priests of Sabarimala Temple – performed the “Ashtabandha
Kalasam’ and Maha Kumbhabhishekam of the Golden Temples simultaneously between
7.46 and 9.10 a.m. on 27th August 2014.
A SahasraKalasam was performed at both Sri Ayyappan and Sri Guruvayurappan Temples from 22nd to 26th November 2016.
50th Sapthaham: The 50th Sapthaham – which was a
Srimannaryaneem Sapthaham – was conducted in our temple from 2nd
July to 9th July 2016. The
Mukhya Acharyan was Brahmasri Udit Chaithanyaji.
Guru
Chemancheri Kunchiraman Nair – the 100 year old Kathakali Acharyan was honoured
by our SABHA on 22.12.2016
Publication: Poonthanam’s ‘Jnanappana’, translated into
Tamil by Prof.C.S.Krishnadas was
published by SABS in March 2016.
Poonthanam’s ‘Jnanappana’, also
translated into Telugu by Sri. L.R.Swamy was published in February 2018
Other events organized by the Sabha :
· Staffs and Volunteers
family gettogether started from 2013.
· Our Temples were awarded ISO-9001-2008 Certificate in August 2014.
· Purchase and distribution
of grocery items to about 4 NGOs in the City, every month; Since 2014;
· With the help of Metro
Transport, ‘Small bus’ services started from Mahalingapuram to various
destinations since July 2015;
· On-line’ Vazhipadu booking and Mobile Apps was introduced in December
2016’
· Free Astrology service introduced by the sabha.
Our next project on the
anvil is construction of a Sivan Temple in the adjacent Property purchased by the
Sabha recently. Preliminary work on this project will start very soon …..
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