Away from the memorial of saint-composer Thyagaraja in Thiruvaiyaru, where his 179th aradhana is marked by five days of uninterrupted concerts, unchavritti and rendering of the Pancharatna kritis, a parallel aradhana is under way in Thanjavur.
In the narrow Varagappa Iyer Lane off the bustling South Main Street, devotees queue up at a house named after Thyagaraja. It is here that the idols of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrughna and Anjaneya, worshipped by Thyagaraja himself, are preserved, along with a portrait of the saint-composer said to have been drawn by his disciples. Sita is seated on Rama’s lap, while Bharata holds an umbrella and Shatrughna waves a fly-whisk. Lakshmana and Anjaneya stand before them with their hands folded in prayer.
“I belong to the seventh generation that has been worshipping these idols and organising the aradhana,” said S. Thiyagaran. His grandfather, Subramania Josier, was the brother of Guruvammal, the wife of Thyagaraja’s grandson Thiyagarajan.
Thyagaraja, an ardent devotee of Rama, who composed most of his kritis in praise of the deity, and the idols were inseparable. “However, his brother Japesa threw them into the Cauvery when Thyagaraja refused to take up employment at the palace. He believed that the loss of the idols would compel Thyagaraja to turn his attention towards family responsibilities,” said Mr. Thiyagaran.
William Jackson, author of ‘Tyagaraja: Life and Lyrics’, notes that this episode is associated with the composition Nenendu Vetakudura (Where might I search for you, O Lord) in Karnataka Behag. “It depicts a period when ordinary worship becomes impossible, the beloved focus of devotion having been displaced, resulting in a dry phase to be endured with patience and longing,” he writes.
According to legend, Thyagaraja later recovered the idols from the river while bathing. Overcome with emotion, he is said to have rendered Raara Maayinti Dhaaka, Raghuveera Sukumara Mrokkera (Visit my home, O noble Raghuvira) in the raga Asaveri.
After the demise of Thyagaraja on Bahula Panchami in 1847, the idols were left in the care of his daughter Seethalakshmi’s son Thiyagarajan. “As Thiyagarajan and his wife Guruvammal had no children, and Thiyagarajan predeceased her, she chose to stay with her father Chandrasekara Josier at his house on Varagappa Iyer Street. She brought the idols with her, and our family has been worshipping them and organising the aradhana every year,” said Mr. Thiyagarajan. Thus, the idols came under the possession of her brother’s family.
Chandrasekara Josier and his son Subramania Josier continued the worship of the idols. Their photographs are still preserved and hang on the wall near the pedestal where the idols are installed.
“The idols came into the possession of my father Sundaram Iyer from my grandfather Subramania Josier. My brothers and I now organise the aradhana. We serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to devotees who visit our house during this period,” said Mr. Thiyagarajan.
He added that the family had decided not to allow photography, following the advice of the late Sankaracharya, Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi. “In addition to the aradhana, we organise prayers on every full-moon day and during Rama Navami,” he said.
Curated by James Chen
