A guru is a friend, guide and exemplar nonpareil. One of the best examples of this is Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swami, popularly known as Maha Periyava, the 68th Pontiff of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Math. A saint who set an example of high standards through his personal life, he also brought into limelight the (lost) glory of Gangaikonda Chozhapuram and pioneered the Aippasi Pournami anna abhishekam to the lingam at the famous Brihadeeswarar temple, said Damodhara Deekshithar.
When the Math’s devotee, Sri Mettur Rajagopal, dispatched 360 cans of sacred Ganga water from Haridwar to Kanchi Math for the personal use of Maha Periyava, the Kanchi saint forthwith sent the water to Gangaikonda Chozhapuram to be used for abhishekam on Brihadeeswarar. It was Maha Periyava who threw light on the centuries-old temple, built by the great Chola ruler, Rajendra Chola in 1036 AD, after his victorious conquest of north India. The king consecrated the deity with water carried from the Ganga by the rulers defeated by him. A number of poets have sung on the glory of this temple. After three centuries of glorious reign, during which time this temple was a pivot, it fell into obscurity. When the war with the Moghuls reached near Kanchi in 1688, the 61st and 62nd Acharyas of the Math left the place, in search of a safe spot and chose to camp in Thanjavur, under the patronage of Udayarpalayam zamin. The Math functioned, thanks to funds from the Brihadeeswarar temple. Maha Periyava felt the divine debt had to be repaid. With annadanam being the foremost charitable deed, he initiated the massive anna abhishekam for the huge idol at this temple, with the prasad distributed to one and all. Maha Periyava merely sought the holy ash as prasad from the abhishekam, a wish fulfilled in 1994 by Sengalipuram Babu Deekshithar. Thousands of devotees gather every year for this special annadanam (November 5 this year).
(Source: The Hindu, November 03, 2025)