T P Sundara Rajan
Encyclopedia
Trivandrum Padmanabha Iyengar Sundara Rajan (1941–July 17, 2011) was a former IPS Officer and Supreme Court lawyer. He was a bachelor and preferred to be known as "a humble supplicant (saranagata) of the great Lord Sri Padmanabha". He had indepth knowledge of Hindu scriptures. People used to address him reverentially as Valia Swami.
). He was born on April 18, 1941 (Uthradom in the Malayalam month of Medam). He was a Vadakalai
Iyengar belonging to the Srivatsa
Gotra, the Gotra to which Lord Sri Parashurama
also belonged.
. He resigned from the IPS after a few years and enrolled as an advocate in the Supreme Court. But he gave up his practice to return to his native place Thiruvananthapuram in the '80s "only to take my father to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple everyday".
Though Valia Swami was extremely close to the Royal Family of Travancore which administered the Temple, he fell out with the incumbent Maharajah, His Highness Sri Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma
. Sundara Rajan wanted the administration of the Temple to be " pure and transparent thereby maintaining the dignity of the Lord". It was his writ petition filed before the Kerala High Court that ultimately culminated in the opening of the Temple's vaults (kallaras). According to some estimates, the worth of the valuables runs into thousands of crores of Rupees. His case before the Kerala High Court was spearheaded by his nephew, Advocate T.K Anandpadmanabhan. The case is now pending before the Supreme Court of India.
Many believe that he was a God-sent man who breathed his last after doing what was his dharma. He himself told some media persons a week before his death," My mission has been accomplished. Sri Padmanabha will take care of the rest". It was his greatest desire to leave this world during the Uttarayanam (from the month of Makaram to Mithunam) just as his role model Bhishma
Pitamaha did. Sundara Rajan passed away just two hours before Uttarayanam ended. His immense contribution in elevating the shrine of Lord Padmanabhaswamy to an exalted status in the pantheons of world famous hindu temples is unparalleled.
Parents
Valia Swami was the youngest son of T K Padmanabha Iyengar (retired Headmaster of Killippalam School) and Seshi Ammal (niece of one of India's biggest industrialists T. V. Sundaram IyengarT. V. Sundaram Iyengar
T. V. Sundaram Iyengar Thirukurungudi Venkagaruswamy, was an industrialist, the founder of TV Sundaram Iyengar and Sons group of companies, one of India's largest industrial conglomerates. With his humble beginning as a lawyer, he grew into one of the most successful industrialists of his time....
). He was born on April 18, 1941 (Uthradom in the Malayalam month of Medam). He was a Vadakalai
Vadakalai
Vadakalai , meaning Northern branch are a subsect of the Vaishnavite Iyengar community of Hindu Brahmins. In Sanskrit the Vadakalai are referred to as Uttara Kalārya . Vadakalais are followers of Ramanuja and Vedanta Desika....
Iyengar belonging to the Srivatsa
Srivatsa
The Śrīvatsa, Shrivatsa, or Sri Vatsa is a figure of South Asian symbology. Shrivatsa was married to Rudrani. Chandra et al.. state that it denotes "...the auspicious mark represented by a curled noose emblematical of love...".Shrivatsa is an ancient auspicious symbol in India...
Gotra, the Gotra to which Lord Sri Parashurama
Parashurama
Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
also belonged.
Career
An officer of the 1964 West Bengal cadre, Valia Swami served as Assistant Director in the Intelligence Bureau and was also a close confidant of former Prime Minister Indira GandhiIndira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
. He resigned from the IPS after a few years and enrolled as an advocate in the Supreme Court. But he gave up his practice to return to his native place Thiruvananthapuram in the '80s "only to take my father to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple everyday".
Sundara Rajan and Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Valia Swami used to wake up at 2.30 AM daily. He would take his bath and rush to Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple for Nirmalya darsan at 3.30 AM. He would visit the Temple at least five times a day. He scrupulously observed the rule of 'trikala snanam and ekakala bhukti',ie, bathing thrice and eating once. He cooked his own food, offered it to the Lord and had it.Though Valia Swami was extremely close to the Royal Family of Travancore which administered the Temple, he fell out with the incumbent Maharajah, His Highness Sri Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma
Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma
Sri Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma is the scion of the former Travancore royal family.He joined the firm of Plymouth and Company at Bangalore in 1952, working there and also studying the functioning of industries at a basic level...
. Sundara Rajan wanted the administration of the Temple to be " pure and transparent thereby maintaining the dignity of the Lord". It was his writ petition filed before the Kerala High Court that ultimately culminated in the opening of the Temple's vaults (kallaras). According to some estimates, the worth of the valuables runs into thousands of crores of Rupees. His case before the Kerala High Court was spearheaded by his nephew, Advocate T.K Anandpadmanabhan. The case is now pending before the Supreme Court of India.
Demise
Valia Swami shed his mortal coil on July 17, 2011 at 12.45 AM.Many believe that he was a God-sent man who breathed his last after doing what was his dharma. He himself told some media persons a week before his death," My mission has been accomplished. Sri Padmanabha will take care of the rest". It was his greatest desire to leave this world during the Uttarayanam (from the month of Makaram to Mithunam) just as his role model Bhishma
Bhishma
Bhishma or Bheeshma or Devavrata or 'Bhishma Pitamah' was the eighth son of Kuru King Shantanu who was blessed with wish-long life and had sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king. He was one of the most prominent characters of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He was the grand uncle of both the...
Pitamaha did. Sundara Rajan passed away just two hours before Uttarayanam ended. His immense contribution in elevating the shrine of Lord Padmanabhaswamy to an exalted status in the pantheons of world famous hindu temples is unparalleled.