With the release of Rajnikanth’s latest film, Jailer, the spotlight falls on the temple shown in its opening scene. It is the Sanjeevirayar Hanuman Temple located in Ayyangarkulam, Kanchipuram.
Dear sir, heard this ancient temple 75kms from Chennai doesn't have enough support to manage their daily needs due to being a non-popular one. Said to be several thousand years old, it needs your attention. 🙏🏾
Thiru Sanjeevirayar Thirukovilhttps://t.co/EOfEhJosMc pic.twitter.com/jXO2ldjadE
— Scotland தமிழன் (@DaranMurali) July 12, 2021
Legend
The story of this temple is said to date back to the Ramayana era. According to legend, when Lord Hanuman was bringing the Sanjeevi Hill to Sri Lanka to cure Lakshmana wounded in the battle, some parts of the hill fell at this location. This is why the deity, Hanuman, at this temple is known as Sri Sanjeevi Rayar.
According to another legend, Thatha Desikan and his followers embarked on a journey carrying wealth acquired through earnings and gifts to present to Sri Varadharaja Perumal of Kanchipuram. Upon reaching the temple, they discovered that their riches were being guarded by monkeys, mistakenly believing them to be Anjaneyar or Hanuman. In gratitude for this unexpected safeguard, Thatha Desikan constructed a temple dedicated to Anjaneyar and crafted a Sanskrit composition known as ‘Srimad Hanumath Vimsathi’.
History
The temple is said to have been built in the Vijayanagara period by a scholar and administrator named Kotikanyadanam Sri Lakshmi Kumara Thathachariar roughly around the 15th-16th century.
Sri Lakshmi Kumara Thathachariar is said to have held a prominent position during the Vijayanagara Empire. He was a distinguished vaishnavite scholar who served as Chief Minister and Raja Guru for the Vijayanagara Kings Venkatapathy Rayas I and II. He also oversaw the administration of Divya Desams in Kanchipuram, Sriperumbudur, and Kumbakonam. Over time, the temple and its associated tank gained the names ‘Thatha Samudram’ and ‘Thiruvadi Rayapuram’, ultimately evolving into ‘Ayyangarkulam’. The principal deity of the temple, Sri Sanjeevirayar, holds a significant place as the foremost shrine dedicated to Sri Anjaneyar in this region of the country.
Sri Thatha Desikan displayed his philanthropic spirit by arranging numerous marriages for the underprivileged, leading to his accolade as “Koti Kanniyadhana Lakshmi Kumara Thatha Desikan,” or alternatively known as “Ettur Lakshmi Kumara Thathacharya.”
Two Grantha inscriptions eulogise Sri Sanjeevirayar through poetic compositions. One of these inscriptions extols Thathachariar in poetic form, while the second inscription documents the establishment of the Hanuman Temple and the creation of the ‘Thathasamudram’ reservoir.
An inscription dated 1609 CE, attributed to King Venkatapathirayar of the Vijayanagara Kingdom, documents the grant of the villages Ayyankulathur and Enathiputhur to this revered Hanuman deity.
Current State
Although this temple features in Tamil films routinely, it is in a dilapidated condition. It is worth noting that the Sanjeevirayar temple comes under the ambit of the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department of the Tamil Nadu state government. It is truly lamentable that neither the government nor the film fraternity has stepped forward to shoulder the responsibility of preserving a temple of such distinguished ancient heritage and renown.
Organisations such as People For Dharma have been involved in the restoration and renovation works of many temples across the country and the Sanjeevirayar Temple is one among them.
Rajini's Jailer movie starts with a shot of this Ayyangarkulam Sanjeevirayar temple. It's epic to note that this old Vijayanagaran era temple features in almost every other tamil film, but neither HRCE nor the wealthy film makers/artists are interested in restoring it. https://t.co/Az4MOY66Oh
— Aravindalochanan Govindan (@aravindgov) August 13, 2023
It has now come to people’s attention that the temple currently conducts puja only once a day. This is unusual considering the temple possesses a considerable amount of land. What is even more startling is that the archaka, who conducts the rituals, receives a meagre salary of just ₹1000 per month. It’s quite astonishing that there seems to be little concern for these matters or even the deteriorating state of the temple.
The HR&CE department, however, finds itself in multiple controversies such as the recent Kanakasabai entry at Chidambaram temple or the permission to allow non-Hindus at Pazhani temple despite an existing court ruling against it.
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