Changing face of Triplicane agrahara

Report and photo by M. Pradeep

If you walk down Peyalwar Koil Street in Triplicane you may notice  a agrahara called ’Komati Bungalow’ - that is what this colony is called by the locals. 

This agrahara was built by the Kopi Parthasarathy Iyengar Trust during the British rule in India. This agrahara’s main purpose was to house the poor Brahmins.

Vaschala, who has been living in the agrahara for 53 years said, “This is a very old agrahara. Initially there were about 57 Brahmin families living here. Now most of them have left, returning their houses in the agrahara to the association that manages it. Only Brahmins live here.”

“There are 10 common community toilets in the far side of the agrahara. Only the bathrooms are integrated into the houses. The houses are rented, the fee is very nominal since the founders decided to house only the poor Brahmins.. All the rent we pay goes to the Ayodhya Rama Temple in Ayodhya,” she adds.

Her husband Raman said, “We have an association that is in charge of the agrahara. This association gives us a lot of freedom. We are allowed to decorate our interiors in any way we want as long as we do not build extra floors. All the expenses to do this must be borne by us.”

The social and religious events are conducted in the newly constructed part of the agraharam   called the Nam Pillai Sannathi. 

Nam Pillai was a Vaishnavaite acharya. Religious discourses also happen in this sannathi. 

During the Nam Pillai Utsavam, an idol of Nam Pillai is taken in procession through the agrahara..The agraharam also is honoured by the processional deities of Sri Parthasarathy and Sri Narasimha during the annual festivals of Brahmotsavam. 

This procession stops at every house and everybody is given an opportunity to offer their obeisance to the Lord.

“The houses here are very old and have started to show signs of wear. So, the Association has decided to demolish the houses and rebuild them. They have not asked us to move out but we do not know how long we will be able to live here, ” said Raman.