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Home > Temples of Kerala > Saanthikkars SaanthikkarsIn the case of saanthikkarsthe situation is still worse. On visiting various temples in the state, it is felt that some of the mel-saanthis give little care for the onerous task entrusted to them. The devotees who have full faith in the supreme, consider the Mel-saanthi as a representative of the deity. But in most cases they do not come upto the expectation of the devotees. At times they become degraded in their behaviour and also in the observance of rituals. Very often the Sree-bali that has to be performed with great care, is conducted improperly and without proper knowledge regarding the direction to which the Devathas face, to whom the bali is offered, in which order the bali has to be offered etc as prescibed in thaanthric texts. Moreover in many temples the Mel-saanthi does not even know the sankalpa of the deity since the sankalpa has not been recorded anywhere in the offices of the temple. It is high time that steps are taken to collect and record the same in respect of each temple in the administrative office of the temple under safe custody for the benefit of the Mel-saanthi in case of emergencies. It is always advisable that the Mel-saanthi consults the Thanthri before the former takes over charge in a temple to get information about those aspects like sankalpa etc. It is noticed that many Vettakkorumakan and Ayyappa temples are treated as Saastha temples and worshipped in the sankalpa of Saastha in the absence of correct information. Similarly to cite another example, the sankalpa of the idol of the so called Sree krishna temple at Malayinkizh (in Trivandrum district) under the Travancore Devaswom Board is actually Sree Vallabha (Maha Vishnu) as it was installed by the Pottis of Thiruvalla where they used to worship in the famous Sree Vallabha temple in earlier times. It may be of academic interest to note that if.poojas are done inadvertently for long years with a different sankalpa then how this defect can be rectified Some of the Thanthris suggested that once the mistake has been detected It has to be verified and rectified with the help of a Deva-prasna. For some-time poojas for both sankalpas can be done and after some reasonable time, say one-year,the sankalpa acceptable to the deity can be ascertained by a subsequent deva-prasna.The administrator should therefore go in to this matter deeply and-evolve procedures to-record the sankalpa of each temple and ensure the conduct of poojas accordingly, for the "benefit of "both priests and the public. Another tact to be pointed out is that the Mel-saanthis and in some cases even the Keezh-saanthis engage in poojas which adversly affect the chaithanya of the deity for some of their personal gains or in installing for saken idols or evil-spirits within the garbha-grha. A strict vigil on the part of the administration is essential to curb such tendencies for which surprise inspection by the Thanthris of the temple may be introduced. The role of keezh-saanthis also requires a reassessment. One of the duties of the Keezh-saanthi is to act as Mel-saanthi in the absence of the latter. Often most of the Keezh-saanthis are not qualified to conduct the rites usually performed by the- Mel-saanthi. The qualifications stipulated by statutory bodies of Devaswomsin their recruitment rules are obsolete and do not envisage the requisite qualifications for saanthis. The High Power Commission Report states that the recruitment of ineligible persons of 'inadequate knowledge and improper training has paved the way for ill equipped, ill-mannered people with intemperate habits to enter the profession. Further the report suggests changes for the conduct rules as well as service conditions as follows: 'Since the duties to be performed by priests and other temple servants are entirely different from those of Government servants and are of a special nature, we feel that it is necessary that a different set of conduct rules have to be framed for the working in the temple. It is also our view that to allow a saanthi to retire at the age of 55 is to take away a person of experience and maturity at a time when he is most acceptable to the devotees and most inclined to be committed and loyal to his sacred assignment. We would therefore recommend the raising of the age of retirement of priests to 65, with a provision for voluntary retirement and for compulsory retirement if owing to infirmity he cannot perform his duties. However, it has to be ensured that undesirables who are not eligible to continue as Saanthis because of their living style, personal habits and lack of devotion to their duties do not get the benefit of such an extended service'. It is also suggested that the custom of distributing prasaadam by the Mel-saanthi in front of the sanctum-sanctorum or sopaanam to the devotees is not a desirable gesture except in case where there is no keezh-saanthi. Therefore the prasaadam has to be given at a different place. Provision may be made for installing a separate hunti for dakshina to priests and the entire amount distributed among priests in a definite proportion. The Mel-saanthi should confrne himself to the pooja within the temple. All offerings should be to the presiding deity of the temple and not for those serving the deity. His attention may often be diverted to a potential devotee, and this will interfere with his attention in conducting the pooja with sraddha (concentration) and strict observance of rituals associated with it. Hence on no account . Report on Travancore and Cochin and Devaswom Boards (Aug 1990) by the High Power Commission, pp12-13 172. Ibid p. 22 he should divert his attention to the sopaana in assessing the status of the devotees standing there. He should not show any discrimination between the rich and the poor and also between the well dressed and ordinary dressed etc. He should always have in mind the philosophy that all are equal in the eyes of God the Almighty. The power of the deity is always based on the l.raddha and actions of the priesthood class. The political, social and cultural movements in the last two centuries, particularly during the first half of the present century, led to innumerable changes in the social status of priests. Some of the new political ideas enunciated after Independence shattered the priesthood class of Kerala from respectable position to merely that of employees of an unethical and atheistic class of people except very few ardent priests. This new class, politicized the temples for their personal gains and the priesthood class had to shift to new avocations for a decent living, leaving behind them the rich heritage they possessed. Consequently, the interest in the study of Veaas and thaanthric texts dwindled as the priests adopted other avocations for their existence. Those who continued in the profession found it difficult to make both ends meet. All these led to general deterioration in the calibre of priesthood. Some of the renowned Thanthris realised the plight of the great tradition and assembled at Guruvay\ir in 1969 to revamp the priesthood system to its lost original glory. They decided to train a new generation of Thanthris and Santhikkars proficient in the thaanthric lore. As decided at the Thaanthric conference the Thanthra Vidya Peetham was started in July 1972 in an out-house of the tradtional Thirunavaya Veda Paathasaala on the banks of Bharathapuza under the leadership of Kalppuzha Divakaran Namboothirippad. Ne..xt year it was shifted to the old Sabha Matham building at Chovvagnur (near Guruvayur) owned by the Cochin Devaswom Board. Finally in June 1985 it was again -shifted to the premises of the famous Cheriath Sree Narasimha temple located in the Vepathunaad village near U.C. College, about 7 km from Aluva. It has idyllic surroundings with the river Periyar (poorna river) flowing northwards at this point as in Benaras. A similar institution known as Thanthra Vidya Peetpham is located at Thavanoor in Malappuram district on the left bank of Bharathapuzha (Neela river). Both these are important institutions imparting thaanthric studies of Kerala style. The former one ie the Thanthra Vidya Peetham at Aluva has a well-established training programme. Every year ten full-fledged students are prodn.ced who combine in themselves expert theoretical and practical knowledge of thanthra and allied ancient branches of studies as stated earlier. The various aspects discussed above bring out the state of affairs of many of our temples. The main defects noticed are with regard to the priests. The Thanthris and Saanthikkars in many temples rio not possess the required qualifications. There is no concrete provision for bringing young priests into the field. Another important drawback is that the remuneration given to the priesthood class is meagre and not sufficient to maintain a family. Considering all these aspects the following suggestions are offered for making an efficient and well-nurtured priesthood class.
All the above general guidelines have to be meticulously considered and remedies evolved in consultation with renowned Thanthris. Otherwise there will be further erosion in the pooja system and loss of power of the idols.
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