Dear all! Now a days there are temples that provides free noon meals to pilgrims ans of course we can make sure that local vendors who sells flowers, coconut etc., take this and some beggars too join them. may few one or two pilgrims also may join.
During festival time we are seeing people q up before the persons to take the holy prasad so that they believe if he/ she consume that they are blessed. and they take them as a sentiment.
The Sivan temples during Pradoshams distribute good volume of Prasad and even if you take a sugar pongal can you can also distribute.
But were as in Perumal temple they are not giving Prasad as Sivan temple, and one day I received 32 parukkai of Puliyodarai and seven numbers of Sundal.
But the persons who sung Divya prabandham took a leaves full of Sweet Pongal, Kesari, Dhadyannam, etc., which were not offered to the devotees. That too they ate everything in the presence of devotees.(Daily!)
But the same in Sivan Temples, the OOddhuvars also sung Devaram they are not getting any special attention and no extra prasadms were given to them.
The Perumal temple they did not allow any other person to distribute any food items.
One day I went there with a pot full of Sugar Pongal when the Butter said No! No!! you are not suppose to carry the Pongal here!
You take them out first or I will see that you are thrown away!
I went out of the temple and distributed to the Poor.
I don't wat to pay the Temple The Temples has lots and lots of money!
Even to day we give these Butter milk, Panagam etc., in Sivan temple with our own hand and we are satisfied.
According to me the small portion of the food we take are shared with others, we are satisfied!
Suppose if we give money that will be Shared with the Employees of the Temple! and my choice is that I offer butter milk this summer in an amman temple. They won't demand money! I can take a pot full of Butter milk in the noon and distribute! the devotees are happy.
Well I get your point here. According to the Pancharathra Agama or the Vaikhanasa Agama, only the food prepared in the "thirumadaippaLLi" (Temple Kitchen) shall be offered to God and only that is offered to Perumal can be distributed within the temple premises.
Any food "cooked" by persons other than the "initiated and appointed" temple cook will not be offered to PerumaL. However uncooked food, brought by devotees shall be offered to PerumaL. This includes, fruits, coconut etc that are natural. To my knowledge, in older days even "kalkaNDu" was not offered to PerumaL as it somehow undergoes cooking. But somehow this has got diluted and has now found a way for offering to Perumal.
Hope now you got the reason for getting turned out. Of course the Bhattars are arrogant at times and I dont intend to defend them any way.
And that is precisely why Singing Tamizh pAsurams in Sivan Temples is still a Herculean effort.
NathamunigaL did this Tamizh pAsuram propagation in a very clever manner as he realized the greatness of these pAsurams. Probably we can say that NathamunigaL was the founder of the "SatthuNavu thittam" and not MGR. NathamunigaL on hearing the wonderful pAsurams and the liveliness wanted to propagate it. There was a stiff resistance for allowing Tamizh into the temples. It is said that NathamunigaL even went to extent of getting a Royal Whip delivered in this regard. The king whom he approached could have been either Rajaraja or Rajendra, as they were the rulers during the times of NathamunigaL.
The Prasadham could just have been one concession for those singing Tamizh pAsurams. Now thanks to NathamunigaL and his able successors, no PerumaL temple is complete without Tamizh PAsurams. There are temples where there is none to recite Vedas. But there are no temple where there is no one to sing a Tamizh pAsuram.
While the Vaishnavite temples gradually accepted the Tamizh renderings, the Saivite temples found stiff resistence and that is why we are seeing so much noise being made into the Chidambaram temple affair. Of course we all know how much Rajaraja had to sweat to bring out the Thirumurais.
Perhaps all the modern eateries must have picked up this practice from Perumal temples - outside food not allowed!
Every temple follows some rules sanctified by some agamas and sanctioned by tradition. One has to be patient and strive to understand the tradition. If there is resistance to deviate from the tradition, and arguments start, the issue becomes blurred, niceties are forgotten and the 'fight' becomes a free for all; one side wants to stick to tradition and rules, while the other who has put in lot of effort and incurred expnses feels his basic rights are not respected.
I believe, in all Perumal temples only the prasad cooked in the madaipalli is offered to Perumal and distributed. Sampath
When devotees are offered 32 parukkais of Puliotharai and 7 pieces of sundal how the Persons singing PAsurams take large quanity before the devotees? Let them take it from Kitchen directly and let them pack and take it to the home and take. Next when Sivan temple during Pradoshams offering giving away food to 100s, why not the Perumal Temple?
Even mid day food is offere at Sivan Temple and not in Perumal temple Why?
See I am a person who is seeing man kind in every action in Human.
Some time I came across certain people who think they are gods.
That I am a person who visits temples and see the science behind them.
When no one was available for my question why we have so many Gods and Goddess every one answered which didn't appear scientifically.
But when I read inscriptions about the temples and managements I found that the temples were as bankers extracted money from Chettiars who took money from the temple who were traders. The persons who were unable to pay were made as slaves to the temple. If a person marry He has to pay a tax. If a Couple goes from their parents and wish to live separately they are to pay tax to the temple., all to the Vaishnava Temple. Do you need evidences?
Well. Mr.B.K. Pandeya had written a thesis on this and published a book titled Temple economy under the Colas. in 1984.
If I mention everything we the people in Tamil nadu will put our head down. All are collected from inscriptions available with ASI. He has submitted the the South India Inscriptions in every foot note. I veryfied every thing.
It is my duty when writting a thesis I should not put everything in favour of Religion and we must apply our mind on the religion. Religion is for the people and people are not for the religion!
You must know onething. Atom was discovered by Vedic people in B.C.23,000 It was reproduced in a 1914 magazine.
The english diverted our mind from Science and grabbed everything in their favour. and earned money and robbed us.
But as a human we are seeing you are Iyengar, Mudaliar naidu etc.,
When it comes to temple there is more Politics.
In A.D. 1300 we surrendered everything to muslims and in 1760 we had number of Muslims as Trustees!
There every one swindled money. This is also a thesis.
Have you visited Kancheepuram Varadaraja temple? The butter will give Tulsee and water only when you offer a five rupee coin in his plate. I offered two rs coin and asked for water for which he refussed!
This is a place we live.
Later when I came out of the temple two Prists on a bike crossed me and threatened me. See a person who don't have a five rupee coin with HIM.
Is this a way to behave?
The reason for my visit to that temple is that it has a copper kavacham in the Godess shrine! I wanted to interview the priest what are all the side effects he gets since he is sitting under the copper roofed cover for 5 hrs a day.
For answering that he wanted Rs10/= is this the correct way? Does the Perumal asked him to rob a man for Rupees and answer a common question whichs answer will benefit the society?
But when asked the same type of question with other temples it was responded in all the ways and they were happy to co-operate with me.
But anyhow let me compleate my thesis that will answer our present generation.
I prefer to take this out and discuss on a personal mail. I agree with some of your views and have done this from your first mail itself.
In order not disturb the harmony of the discussions in this groups, I suggest that we take it out and discuss. If you are interested, please let me know personally and I will be glad to reply you. Of course, you can add some list of people you wish in the CC fields.
With this I stop my response on this in our threads.
If I am correct, the food distribution in temples, I think all major big temples of tamil nadu was started as a 'annadanam' scheme by Jayalalitha during her chief minister ship.
And VV, 'sathunavu' was started by Kamarajar and not by MGR. MGR only marketed the scheme. It was Kamarajar who initiated the scheme, if I am correct.
If we can discuss things openly without involving bias, we can see the other person's point of view or be able to answer other person's questions. :) It would be wonderful, if we discuss things openly and help rid people of their bias.