Author: Suba. venkataraman - 80 yr old.. in chennai Published by:: Buddha Publications,18, Victoria Crescent Rd, Egmore, Chennai 8.(Ph: 044 - 45185398) Third Edn:: Dec 2005.
Available in Giri Trading, Mylapore also.
HIGHLIGHTS from this 255 Page book::
1.(Aadhi) Varahaswamy temple is NOT predating main deity. 2. Ref "Thazhsadayum Neelmudiym.. " Peyazhwar; "Ponthigazhum meni- Boothath3. Kousthubam - Vajabam - Vajayanthi - there. In Heart the FEMALE deity is neither Alarmelu, nor Lakshi - no 4 arms.. Only 2 arms! 4. Mahalkshmi established only on 26.12.1535. Lakshmi Sahasranamam not performed inside the sanctum. 5. No Sanghu - Chkram in Main Image... Added by kavasas only. 6. RE AMBAL :: Simha Valadam - Yoga, Boga, Varadha muthras - Vilambitha hastham ( as in Kanchi Kamakshi - Kerala Bharathapuzha Bagavathi) GOLUSU - METTI !! 7. Friday Abhishegam - with 51 Vessels - 21 yard Saree - Manjal/ Kumkum- Navarathri Brahmothsavam. 51 does it indicate 51 Sakthi Peetas ? 8. Earlier Friday archanai was with Vilvam. NowMargazhi archanai with Vilvam .. favourite of siva. 9. Sivarathri - Kshetra Balika Uthasavam !! 10. During Abhishegam - ( archagas confide )- visibility of 3rd eye. 11.Venkatesa Saharswranamam : first : Venkatesaya Namaha. Second: Viroobatshyaya Namaha.. 12. Thirumoolar :: " Venkadanathanai -Vedantha koothanai" 13. Saiva Thirumurai :Thiruvandhadhi:: " Ariyarum.. kariyagum Vengadathu Meyanai... " 14.. "Thane Avadharitha THAMBIRAN - Thenar Thiruvengadatharsu. " Sthala Vritcham : PULIYA MARAM !! 15. Also known as VERUNGAI VEDAN !! "thondarellam vandhu.. KONDAL VENGAI VEDAN - PERIYA VENGADATHU VANAN " 16. Punugu Kaapu (as for Sirkazhi Thoniappar / Tvlcnzhi siva) 17. Arunagiri & Annamayya are contemporaries. He sings of having seen Muruga in Venkatachlapathi. 18. Muthuswamy Dikshidar also sings of same in "Subramania Namste" =======
Thus What is mentioned in THAITRIYA UPANISHAD - PARABRAHMAM - incornation of Siva - Vishnu - Sakthi is DEPICTED in Thirumala.
TIRUMALA: The global meltdown has rocked the economies of several countries, toppling business establishments and pushing leading financial institutions to the verge of collapse . But the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, the sole custodian of the Venkateswara temple, remains `unscathed.' The lion's share of the income of the TTD is derived from the hundi, in which devotees deposit their offerings. Over Rs.521 crore is expected from the hundi during 2009-10 out of the total revenue of Rs.1,363 crore. The hundi contributes slightly above 38 % of the net proceeds of the TTD. Besides, going by TTD records the hundi income has registered a steady increase of 10-15 % every year over the past four decades. The hundi income from January 2009 to March 9 is put as Rs.40.69 crore, Rs.34.87 crore and Rs.40.90 crore as against Rs.36.13 crore, Rs.33.76 crore and Rs.37.76 crore for the corresponding period during 2008.
That is very good to know, but does anyone care about how thes funds are managed?Perhaps related a little to the other thread on politics...how should temple funds be managed? What should be done with funds over and above temple upkeep? Is it ok to treat a temple as a commercial establishment totally (or does anyone feel there are some differences?
Hindu Temple Management under elected (Secular) governments - is a subject which has drawn attention of several scholars in several Forums and all that is discussed remain only at discussion stage - since Independence.
..how should temple funds be managed? What should be done with funds over and above temple upkeep? Is it ok to treat a temple as a commercial establishment totally (or does anyone feel there are some differences?
Hi maloo you question would need to be answered with the context of history, politics and economics.
first history the temples were probably owned by the kings who vanished with the advent of british. those who went along with them still retain the temples like sivaganga, ramnad and pudukottai.
(SPS does tanjoer samasthanam own temples?) the next are well established adheenams which own temples for several centuries. the british were good enough not to disturb them. some large temples like vaitheeswaran koil, thirukadayur, thirunallar are owned by adheenams.
these adheenams have a free hand to spend the money they receive I guess. they run colleges and choultries too. a majority of temples however had no owners since the kings vanished. example kapali temple, or thiruvallikeni for that matter. so the government owns them for some centuries.
the tamilnadu temples own huge amounts of land. these lands are held by both poor peasants as well as powerful land sharks. its a huge political desicion which is required to get them back.needs a lot of back bone. people are very angry that the HR&CE is literally looting the temples however i feel inspite of the governmental control and to an extent looting of the income, 1.there is a degree of security for these temples, (people sometimes respect the government more than god- that arasan andre kolluvaan thievam nindru kollum example)
2lesser bickering for their ownerships between locals.( this would have led to large scale violence and feuds- a small example is kandadevi temple which flares up every year) i am sure many including sathish kumar arunachalam will not agree . lets see the others viewpoint too now.
Thank you Venkat, would be very interesting to hear more. The thought of Tirupathi as related to this came to my mind because Tirupathi is the richest temple in the world. The fundamental fact of temple revenue is to make darshan easy/accessible/affordable for devotees, it is anything but that. TTD ca very easily provide free places to stay, free food and even travel from Tirumala. None of those conveniences are even considered.
Temples that cannot make ends meet are very different from Tirupathi as far as fund management goes I think. Some churches esp in US are managed exceptionally well, we can learn some in this regard. There is an undeniable marketing aspect involved on the other hand the church remains open and accessible to as many people as possible (of course there is no concept of deity and darshan in churches).
> 1.there is a degree of security for these temples, (people sometimes respect the government more than god- that arasan andre kolluvaan thievam nindru kollum example)
> 2lesser bickering for their ownerships between locals.( this would have led to large scale violence and feuds- a small example is kandadevi temple which flares up every year) > i am sure many including sathish kumar arunachalam will not agree . lets see the others viewpoint too now.
Well said, Venkatesh... I was wondering if there was absolutely no good coming from the govt controlling the temples... these are two very valid points...
> Well said, Venkatesh... I was wondering if there was absolutely no good coming from the govt controlling the temples... these are two very valid points...
Hi Madan too many of us have moved to urban centres to realise the poitics a temple can generate in a rural setting. its terrible. ownership details, leasing its lands, muthal mariyathai feuds, prevention of some castes from entering, protecting its jewellery. i think the hr&ce (being one of the most corrupt arms of the government) has done a better job than the possible alternatives. I am not vouching for the HR & ce . you need to bribe the system to even build something within the temple. in so many ways the thirupathi hundi is the best way to fulfill a prayer. the best thing about thirupathi is the visible translation of funds into services. en route to the temple we see universities, hospitals, choultries, free lunches and (sathish in kuwait would be happy to see the large solar cooker they use. once i spent more time viewing it than within the temple) i am sure for such a large crowd th ttd is doing a fairly good job.
Hi Venkat, have made a note to see the solar cooker. It looks like TTD is doing better than government run temples. Although in my opinion they can do more - run more free buses/transportation atleast for elderly and those with children, more creative ideas for darshan than just money money and more money.
Regarding government interference really there is nothing that does well under government control and temples are not any different. I don't know much about mosques and how they are management. I do know a lot about churches - there are lot of factors to church management that are very very different than temples. The concept of church itself for christians it is a community center, a place where friends/like minded people meet, discuss personal issues, take advice, all of that. A temple can perhaps do this but normally it is not. Most chrsitians contribute regularly to the church they are afflliated with. Many churches depending on their affiliation get funds from abroad on a regular basis(many don't also but just much more than temples). Some churches are housed in antique buildings but many do not have significant art work or anything to be preserved. Lastly the christian community is usually very possessive as far as management goes, unlike us where nobody will come forward to do the dirty management work (unless money is involved) there is no shortage of people among them who are willing to do it. Given all these factors government management might seem a remote possibility.
If we want to government to get out of our temples, first of all let us question how many among us are really willing to take on the administrative work. My parents managed a very small temple once, it is not a joke at all and very very significant amount of work is required which is often times thankless and demanding.
Dear SPS The answer to your qn. is Yes. Thanjavor Samastanams have 64 temples under their direct supervison and 63 gardens in various places for the temples and 20 chatrams for the devotees. The list of temples and places are long and this mail box is not sufficient for that.
The type (and quantity) of people who visit Tirupati is very different from the crowd elsewhere. Only other centers of such force at a shade lesser quantity maybe, are Sabarimala and Palani - ofcourse both do have 'vacation' times.
The Tirupati crowd cannot be controlled so easily, the cost of ticket is just Rs.100 for the arjitha seva and the others are free - this is 80% of the daily crowd.
I have seen people dirty the place eat and throw litter on the walk way to the darshan - while waiting. It is NOT the organization fault that these people behave such way.
I have seen people spit while crossing the over head walkway on the road - just for fun... they do not wear footwear either and must know that it could be very unhygienic. People come in lungi's and all sorts of fare... Even at the free prasadam, i have seen people ask for more than one, some even fight for it...
That sort of crowd cannot be manned easily, especially in this weather conditions. This crowd, is not educated, their love may be divine - for the Lord, but is non existing for the fellow being - where in lies the problem.
That sort of the crowd has to be changed for the management to enforce proper procedures. It is easier said than done, and money alone cannot fix every hole in this universe.
Change, as the lightened ones say, must start with one self. I refrained from drinking water in my laborious wait at the temple, as I could not find a proper positioned bin for disposing the water can. When I did find one, i was more disturbed by the litter and garbage... around it and not inside it!!!!
How will you bring this discipline to the man who goes to temple. Management can only rule over people who can work under a rule, unruly objects cannot be controlled especially at a temple that easily.
Now, as educated men,my friends and me, what did we do when we saw these things happen, we moved away from the scene and distanced ourselves. If people say, we could have explained these things to the individuals, my answer would be, I can only preach to people who want to listen and follow on the instructions, not those who pretend to listen.
Money is not 'called for' by the management, it is (and will be) coming there even if they cap it, that is the Lord's will not human.
Ravi, I certainly agree with you on the civility of the crowd, whether it is Tirupathi or elsewhere. Civility unfortunately is tied to literacy and culture and it is difficult to enforce in a country with over 1 billion.
Some places do try though - Kerala temples for instance have a very strict dress code. Free prasad can be something the person gets while passing through the doorway so that no duplicate or asking more is possible. 80% of darshan may be free but perhaps for a fraction of a second, I do not deny the crowd but is it possible to issue tickets or timings when people can come and go instead of standing in line forever and pushed through without a chance to take even a second look.
I am not at all implying anything is easy but if we do not try nothing is possible. while individual responsiblity is undeniable, the people who hold the responsiblity for managing the Lord's finances cannot just get away by saying the Lord brings in the money -and pander to celebrities in the process. There is surely more accountability to it than that.