Odhuvars have been in the limelight in the recent past with an order passed by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directing the administration to pay them a fair remuneration for their services.
Centuries ago, Odhuvars presented sacred verses of the Saivite saints in all the Saivite temples across Tamil Nadu. But the number of odhuvars has shrunk due to inadequate compensation for their services. They feel the salary is inadequate to run their family and precisely for this reason, many have switched to other avenues.
But some continue with unswerving commitment — like Odhuvars Muthu Kandha Desikar and Thiru Gnana Sambandar, who have been serving the temples in Tamil Nadu.
Muthu Kandha Desikar (81) is still active at the Thevara sthalams and has been a part of the Kasi Mutt, Thirupananthal, presenting the sacred verses at Thayumanavar temple in Malaikottai, Tiruchi, for six decades.
TIRUCHI,TAMIL NADU,16/05/2017: FOR STAND ALONE: A view of Malaikottai, Rock fort Temple in Tiruchi on....Photo: A. Muralitharan
He has received many awards for his devotional rendering and has been conferred the Kalaimamani title. Age has not diminished his memory as he renders the Thevaram verses even now without any difficulty and he supplements them with insights.
Teenage initiation
Muthu Kandha Desikar belonged to Thirukodikkaval (https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/doctrine-of-truth/article5351991.ece), near Mayiladuthurai that is home to one of the few temples dedicated to Yama and Chitragupta. He was in his early teens when he got initiated into learning the Thevaram verses at the Dharmapuram adheenam by R. Velayutha Odhuvar, a scholar, who has trained over 300 odhuvars.
When Muthu Kandha Desikar was in his first year of Thevaram initiation, his Guru took him to the fifth year class and made him sing along with students much older. It was a privilege that very few received. He did not stop with the usual 200 verses that were taught in a Patasala but learnt and understood the entire volume of all the popular Saivite Saint poets.
On completion of his five-year course, he became a Kattalai Odhuvar at the Kasi Mutt. He presented the Thevaram verses at various temples including the Tiruvannamalai temple during his initial years. But his favourite is the Thayumanavar Sannidhi, at the Malaikottai (Rockfort) temple, Tiruchi. His devotion towards that deity prompted him to request the authorities at Kasi Mutt to shift him permanently to Thayumanavar temple. Thus began his six-decade long service at the temple.
Devotees remember the period from the 1960s when his voice over the speaker system was heard on the banks of Coloroon, such was the clarity in the voice of his devotional rendering and modulation of the verses.
Once when he presented these verses at the London Murugan temple, the authorities were so impressed that they offered him a handsome deal. But he refused to accept it. “I was committed to Thayumanavar and couldn’t accept anything else,” says Muthu Kandha Desikar with a sense of pride.
He has also been to Ceylon 49 times to present the sacred verses during Vaikasi at the ancient Thiru Conamalai (Trincomalee) temple and Thirumurai on the Maha Sivaratri night at Thiru Ketheeswaram. “On all these occasions, I found the devotees moved,” he says.
But what makes his renditions special? Muthu Kandha Desikar says that the Thevaram verses are not easy to grasp and presentation requires years of effort and understanding. The ability to render the verses in suitable ragam and talam enhance the bhakti element and keep them engrossed during his presentations.
Muthu Kandha Desikar is pinning his hopes on his disciple, the 29-year-old Somasundaram, whom he believes will continue the service, despite the fact that it is not lucrative.
Five decades of service
Septuagenarian Thiru Gnana Sambandar odhuvar at Sirkazhi was also initiated into Thevaram singing by Velayutha Oduvar. After completing his education, he spent a few months at the Thirubhuvanam temple.
In his teens, he had the privilege of performing being invited to sing at the Sattanathan temple, where Thiru Gnana Sambandar sang his first verse.
For Life : The Brahmapureeswarar ( Sattanathar ) temple at Sirkali in Tamil Nadu. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh ( Digital Image ) To go with Nagaraj's story
For the next five decades, he used to present the Pancha Puranam verses during the Saaya Rakshai and Artha Jaama puja and the Thirumurai verses on festival days. He declined the offer of Sirkazhi Govindarajan, to appoint him as a faculty member of the music department.
Thiru Gnana Sambandar Odhuvar has sung in almost all the Saivite temples in India, and abroad as well. For decades, he was one of the most preferred Odhuvars to present the sacred verses during the kumbabhishekam festivities in large temples such as Tiruchendur, Pazhani, Thiruvannamalai and Swamimalai. Though physically weak, he found the strength to present the Thevaram verses when the kumbabishekam took place in Pillaiyarpatti.
Another indication of his devotional commitment was when he presented the significance of the sacred verses at the All India Saiva Siddhantha Conference held in Chennai in February this year. He was so weak that he had to be carried to the stage.
His selfless service at the Sirkazhi temple has also earned him awards from four Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu. His income through his five decades long service was just sufficient to take care of the family but that did not tempt him to accept lucrative offers.
“The greatest happiness to me has been the opportunity to perform at the Sattanathan temple in Sirkazhi for over 50 years and to be a part of the renowned Dharmapuram Aatheenam for a longer period. No amount of money can equal this.”
Due to old age, he had to resign his job, which has created a void as the temple is yet to appoint someone for the Odhuvar post.
