There is nothing that this group seeks in return and almost next to nothing that they get as government reimbursement for the services rendered. And even that small sum they receive is invested by these folks in either buying things for the temple or pooling it to raise funds. “Around 50 rupees or so is the contract payment for one session of service rendered. But since that is not why we are here, we offer it back to the temple,” Sudharshan tells me.

Whether it’s cleaning the temple, decorating it for various utsavams, or carrying the deity on their shoulders for hours, they find nothing but joy in their work.

“Every time I am in town, we meet up and have a meal together to ensure we all are motivated and continue our work with equal zest,” says an excited Santosh, whose efforts for over a decade and a half have begun to pay off.

Digital divinity

“I was doing the groundwork, but once Sudharshan was on board, we went digital,” Santosh tells me. They decided that if they had to bring people to the temple, they would have to take the temple to the people. So while Santosh had been popularising the temple ceremonies and functions by sharing posters and pamphlets and going door to door inviting people, Sudharshan, who is pursuing his PhD in computer science, said it was time to take the temple to the people. So in 2015, they started a Facebook page, and Ram Kumar, another team member and an archaka (priest) at the temple, started updating pictures of various ceremonies religiously. “Regular updates every day were posted with images, and people from all over the world began to join the page, and in a matter of three to four years now we have around 50,000 to 1 lakh followers”, he says, delighted at the way in which their efforts are bearing fruit.

Glad to wait

Their efforts, they are glad to acknowledge, are paying off, even if that means they no longer get exclusive darshans of the deity. “There were days earlier when I would be holding the ceremonial lamp, and there would hardly be four to five people in the sanctum, and we would walk out of the Akhilandeshwari shrine chitchatting. But now, on certain days, I myself have to wait for an hour to get Akhilandeshwari’s darshan,” he quips, unaffected.

Participation is key

The Thiruvanaikaval Temple, like most others, is under the administration of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department, but that hasn’t stopped the young men from participating actively in its functioning. On the contrary, their work is a demonstration of how participation is key to any democratic setup operating at an optimum level. Having been associated with it since childhood, and seeking no monetary compensation of any sort of reward, the only motto being the welfare of the temple, the group receives cooperation from the authorities too.

And the group’s involvement is not just appreciated but also invited. “Even with the ongoing renovation work, whenever we have found something that has not been created true to either the temple history or the aesthetics, we have always brought it up, and the authorities have welcomed our suggestions,” explains Sudharshan, whose efforts have also resulted in the documentation of temple inscriptions.

Having stumbled on quite a few of the scattered inscriptions, Sudharshan involved Kalaichelvan and conducted an estampage workshop to read and document as many inscriptions as they can lay their hands on. The group participated in the workshop, spending two days documenting the footprints of history. The inscriptions have been decoded and are now in the process of being compiled into a book, which they hope will be completed and released around the time of the Kumbhabhishekam due by year-end.

They also take cognisance of any repair or maintenance work that the procession deities may require, contact the concerned sthapathis (temple architect), make recommendations to the authorities and, once permitted, raise funds for the same. Many sculptures that were found strewn around the temple premises, it is hoped, will be housed in a museum that the temple will host there. “We will do whatever it takes to get the temple its due fame,” says the group.