Pujya Sri Mahaswamy Divya Charitram Part#31

 

Temple Repair at Patakacheri

Seventy eight years ago, a young sannyasin of about thirty years of age, roamed the streets of Kumbakonam. He wore a pure white dhoti around his hips and one around his neck, ashes on his forehead, a brass vessel hung on a rope and across his waist and a staff on his hand. He was called the Patakacheri Swamigal. He was fair and his eyes were charismatic. He spoke rarely and uttered few words. Even though he belonged to the Vellalar community, he was respected by people across the social strata. It was said that he did upasana of KalaBhairavar. Everybody, including businessmen, donated coins generously in the brass vessel he carried. He never asked anyone for any money. Still, the people traveling in the bullock carts would definitely stop and donate money to him. No one asked him why and for what purpose he was collecting this money. It was the belief that being a good person, the money would be spent on a just cause. The money
collected grew to a considerable amount and Patakcheri Swamigal’s eyes fell on the historical and old Sri Nageswara Swamy temple whose gopurams were in dire need of repairs. The temple towers were cracked in many places; trees and plants were growing from the walls, and other places in the temple needed repairs as well. In order to renovate the temple and its gopurams, a huge amount of money was needed.

This temple is one of the places where Appar Swamigal has sung in praise of the residing deity. There is a Nataraja idol, six feet tall, in this temple in an auditorium (Sabha) which gives the illusion of a moving plane. It is an amazing sight and makes us wonder how the artisans created this feat of intertwined stones in the form of charkas. A special puja to Surya is performed in this temple every year for three days, starting on the
11th day of lunar month of Chitra. On these three days, the rays of the rising sun will fall directly on the Shivalingam, early in the morning.

Patakacheri Swamigal spent all the monies received by him in repairing and renovating this beautiful temple. The effort took a couple of years and was completed successfully and a date was fixed to celebrate the kumbabhishekam. At this juncture, the Viswakarma community got together and insisted that they have the right to perform abhishekam to the Lord before the Shivacharias and priests could perform abhishekam. They filed their claim in the court as there was a dispute. Patakacheri Swamigal was
worried at this point, that his effort to complete the renovation of this temple would not be fulfilled. He visited our Swamigal in the year 1920, conveyed the difficulty of the situation, requested his blessings to find a way to resolve the controversy and sought his blessings for the Kumbabhishekam. Our Swamigal appreciated the selfless service performed by Patakacheri Swamigal and assured him that he would do the needful to resolve the matter. Our Swamigal invited the artisans and priests and had conversations with them separately. He inquired about their positions and the rationale for each of their points of view. He convinced them to accept the decision that he would provide. They filed a statement with the court to this effect saying the matter would be arbitrated by our Swamigal, and they would accept the decision provided. The judge who was confused about this matter sighed with relief that he didn’t have to hear this case. Swamigal conveyed his opinion that there is nothing stated in the Shastras that prohibited the
Viswakarma community from performing abhishekam before the Kumbabhishekam.

There will be no harm done to the deity if the artisans performed abhishekam as long as it is done before the Kumbabhishekam. The municef of the court also issued an order to that effect. The Kumbabhishekam took place with the full hearted support of both the communities in the lunar month of Ani in the cyclic year Rudrothkari (June,1923).

Thousands of people gathered to witness the kumbabhishekam with the cooperation of local businessmen, lawyers, landlords and other professionals. Patakacheri Swamigal was tremendously pleased to see the sight. Free food was provided to thousands during this event by Theperumalnallur Sivan. A few years after the kumbabhishekham, Patakacheri Swamigal attained siddhi at Thiruvotriyur.

There was a famous nadaswaram vidwan in Kumbakonam called Shivakozhundhu. He had a younger brother. He was involved in dharmic activities during his entire life. There was a Kalahastheeswarer temple situated on the south side of the Sankara mutt in Kumbakonam. There was no gopuram in the temple and he realized the
need for one. He would keep an aluminium bowl on a chair on the road side across from the temple, early in the morning at 5 am. He would rise early in the morning, take a dip in the river, wear rudraksham and vibhuti and stand next to the bowl for a couple of hours reciting “ Shivadharmam, Shivadharmam”. His appearance and voice would attract everyone going to take a dip in the Cauveri or just passing by. They would not leave without putting at least a small amount of money in the bowl. Everyday, he could come
to the mutt and stand at distance and have darshan of our Swamigal. He collected money
like this for five to six years and built a beautiful gopuram for the Kalahastheeswarer temple. Swamigal would praise this ardent devotee of Shiva in those days.