We are a committed group of Dharmik Hindus, deeply passionate about the revival of ancient Tamilnadu Village Temples & it’s ecosystem, which are at the brink of extinction due to lack of patronage & administrative care.
Our team has made extensive field trips covering 150+ village temples in the last 8 years & deeply appreciate the acute challenges of running temples & imminent danger of Temples going into decay due to lack of support, in few years.
To remediate the challenges, we have been actively involved in providing monthly assistance to ~ 50 ancient Village Temples in districts of Mayiladathurai, Kumbakonam, Thiruvarur, Thiruvaiyaru, Sirkazhi, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore etc.
Several Village Temples in Tamilnadu lack financial support to even light lamps/conduct Pooja and remain plunged in darkness. Many such temples propitiated by Azhvars/Nayanmars in hymns are situated in interior villages far away from highways and arterial roads & have extremely low footfall each day, from local devotees & tourists.
Due to lack of support & attention from the Hindu community, these temples fall into decay in the longer run unless the daily temple activities are conducted and revived by devotees.
The burden of running the temple each day, squarely lies on the shoulders of Archakars. It has become a constant struggle to procure basic Pooja Items & Oil for lighting lamps, prepare/dedicate Naivedyam for deities and serve prasadam to the devotees and maintain temples’ sanctity and upkeep.
Many dedicated Archakars, despite being paid a paltry sum as salary, have chosen to live for several generations in the villages, in close proximity to Temples due to their dedication to the deities and perform daily rituals, without any compromise in their bhakti.
To add to the woes attached to these temples, many Thavil and Nadaswaram Musicians & Odhuvars have ceased playing these divine instruments & singing in most Temples in the last 3 decades and those who continue to render their services in temples, are paid paltry monthly salary of INR 300-500.
Due to this, the next generation Thavil & Nadaswaram musicians have already moved out of villages to towns/cities, in search of better paying professions.
In next few years, there could be a huge shortfall of Thavil & Nadaswaram musicians in towns & villages & this art could fade away gradually, if we don’t come together & help in revival.
It all began in 2020, when Covid struck the world & lockdown forced Temples to be shut indefinitely. Temple Priests who rely largely on devotees contribution for income, were suddenly deprived of their source & had meagre savings to rely on, to sail through lockdown.
Arun V & his Dharmik group of friends decided urgent intervention is needed to help Temple priests in this dire situation – thus began the action of building a database of ~200 Temple Priests in the regions of Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai, Thiruvarur, Thiruvaiyaru, Sirkazhi, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Vriddachalam.
Digital transfers were made to Temple beneficiaries for 2 years in 2020 & 2021, until lockdown was lifted. Support garnered was spontaneous & overwhelming, with more people wanting to join the noble cause.
Temple priests were very pleased to get timely help & this led to further interactions & learning the on-ground challenges faced by Priests to run temples.
Post this phase of COVID assistance to ~200 temples, it was decided to provide additional support to address critical challenges of priests, to run temples daily. Most temples lacked financial resources to buy oil & light lamps in Sanctum Sanctorum & other Praharams around the temple. Several temples were plunged in darkness which is in-auspicious & cause for Devotees concern. Hence it was decided to provide Oil Seva to Temples & have the lamps lit at all times.
Since 2021, Arun V & his group of Dharmik Friends have been actively involved in providing monthly oil support to ~ 50 ancient Village Temples in districts of Mayiladathurai, Kumbakonam, Thiruvarur, Thiruvaiyaru, Sirkazhi, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore etc. Utilising a network of Oil vendors, arrangements are made to deliver Oil packages every month, to each Temple for its Pooja & Lamp lighting needs.
We have received testimonials from several Archakars (Priests) about how our Oil seva has helped in daily lighting of Temple Lamps and conducting pooja, reducing financial burden & dependency on devotees/donors.
While studying the oil support initiative, we have realized the struggles involved in running and maintaining ancient Shiva & Perumal Temples on account of the limited resources at their disposal. The burden of running the temple each day, squarely lies on the shoulders of Archakars.
Archakars have an arduous daily job of ensuring daily Pooja rituals are conducted as per Agama rituals, attend to devotees needs, prepare/dedicate Naivedyam for deities, maintain the temple upkeep, plan & arrange upcoming functions & rituals, leaving no time to attend to their own health & family needs. It’s a one-man show with little support from locals/devotees/ administrators.
Through our frequent temple trips, we understood & realized the gravity of the situation & an urgent need to render support to Priests.
Based on the conversations with Temple priests, it was gathered that several Nadaswaram & Thavil musicians in villages are moving out of their profession & migrating to towns & cities, due to lack of opportunities & less money. Same was the case with Odhuvars, who used to sing hymns at temples, in praise of the deities.
Database of 75 performing Musicians was mobilized across the villages, where Temple Oil Seva was conducted & opportunities identified for Musicians & Odhuvars to perform at Temples. Donors passionate about our cultural revival have assisted in Odhuvars & Thavil/Nadaswaram musicians participation in 3 temples in last 3 years.
Hearing the “Mangala vadhyam” again in temples has received good response from locals & increased footfall. Musicians are also thrilled to perform in front of the lord & get their blessings. Several Musicians have since reached out for support & willing to perform at Temples, for a nominal fee. They are heavily reliant on weddings & functions, as their source of income, which is inadequate to meet their family expenses.
We could have more musicians & Odhuvars performing at Temples, if donors come forward to support. This will also help revive the old glory of Temple Ecosystem & encourage future generations to continue in these professions.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
dharmicplatform@gmail.com
+1 609 577 2714
Have Questions?
+16095772714
All Rights Reserved 2025
Terms & Condition Privacy Policy