History
The temple serves food to all devotees free everyday without interruption and also provides free medical facility to the less privileged people of the society. When the temple was thus engaged in providing spiritual solace to the people of the area, one day in the year 1991 the Temple Trustee, a kind hearted person, while going around inspecting the temple precincts in the night in the absence of the Security personal, he saw two ladies lying in front of the temple, the elder around 90years old and her daughter also aged, both looking very tired. He woke them up and cautioned not to lye there lest they attract the attention of the Police personnel who would not allow them to be there in that situation in the night. Looked like beggars though really not so, they did not leave the place even after three four days. When enquired, it was informed by a lady by name Ms.Subhadra who knew them that they, the old one the mother Kamalaakshamma and her daughter Anusuyaamma were refugees in exile from Burma who traveled the whole stretch of land by foot to reach Sriramapura. They never indulged in begging for their needs and were in fact from well to do families, the circumstances then forced them to be in exile.
The Trustee, a compassionate being pacified them and took them to his house and assured food and shelter to them in his house. He also offeredto take care of them till death and thereafter perform their last rites as per Hindu tradition and also immerse their ashes in Cauvery River at Paschimavaahini near Mysore. While assuring so he also put a condition to them that they must declare in writing about what money or any other kind they have in possession or also the fact if they do not have any that they really have nothing of that sort in their possession. This he said only to safeguard him in the event of any false claims from their kith and kin after their death.
He also took them at their instance to a person, a Colonel in the Military service living in the Cantonment area of Bangalore who happened to be their own brother's son. But, the person neither showed any interest in meeting them nor invited them to his house and only spoke to them at the gate outside his house. The Trustee, seeing the Colonel's attitude, asked them not to stand there any more and took them back to his house.
The old ladies were subjected to eye surgery three times at the K. C. General Hospital, Malleshwaram. Further, he arranged for the Old Age Pension for the ladies after persistent follow-up with the concerned authorities and also helped to open account with Canara Bank, Sriramapuram Branch. Thus they started getting the Old Age Pension and with the help of the kind hearted people in the area their life becamecomparatively comfortable at that old age. They also befriended with the Nurses of K. C. General Hospital by arranging things needed by the Nursing Staff for which the old ladies were compensated monetarily. They used to go to the playground near Devaiah Park Railway over bridge and keep the Bat, Ball, Net……etc. safely while the children left the ground after play for which the children used to pay some money often and pulled on their life without much difficulty.
In the year 1996, the said Trusty retired from service and bought a small house in the area and while engaged in the repairs to the house that he bought, the old ladies approached him with a request that he should help them to build a small hut at a corner of the playground for them to live separately. Since the playground belonged to the City Corporation, he discouraged the ladies as the Corporation authorities would not allow a private property to be built in its site. But, they used to pester the Trustee with this demand daily and finally he spoke to the concerned Corporation official who stayed nearby in his quarters about the need of the old ladies. The official, not only he did not object to the demand but asked the Trustee to help the old ladies if he could organize the required materials and construct the hut for them to comfortably stay. Thus a small room of 6'x8' size with brick, cement, sand, kadappa slabs and asbestos sheet was built for them to stay. They stayed together in that hut for almost one and a half year and one day the mother Kamalakshamma died. As per the assurance given, the Trustee arranged for the cremation of the body and the ritualistic last rites of the departed soul as per the Hindu tradition, hiring the service of a Pundit from nearby Malleshwaram area. Further, her ashes were immersed at River Cauveri in Paschimavaahini near Srirangapattinam in Mysore and the last rites were performed by the Trustee himself with the guidance of the same Pundit, the following day. After eleven months the other lady, her daughter also passed away and in the same manner her cremation and last rites were performed by the Trustee with the help of the same Pundit and the ashes were also immersed at Cauvery River at the same place performing the last rites as per the Hindu tradition.
After a few months after the passing away of the old ladies, Ms. Subhadra told the Trustee that she had helped them to open a Bank account with Karnataka Bank, Sriramapuram Branch without the knowledge of the Trustee and some money saved by them totally amounting to Rs.7,090-00 was lying in that account. She asked the Trustee to avail that money since he only had looked after their all needs, but he and his wife refused to avail the money. Finally it was agreed that he could accept a pay order for that amount if drawn in favor of the Ayyappa Temple Trust. Accordingly when the Bank was approached it was found out that the ladies had actually instructed the Bank to pay the money lying in their account to the Ayyappa Temple, Sriramapuram.
After a few months Ms. Subhadra brought the pay order for Rs.7,090-00 in favor of the temple. From the above episode it is evident that Lord Ayyappa had actually willed that the account be opened in the manner that it should finally be spent for the benefit of the old and destitute fellow beings, the result of Bhagawan's forethought indeed. It was discussed in a meeting when the Trustees met on the second Saturday as usual after the pay order was received and everybody in one voice said that the hard earned money saved by the old ladies in spite of being in a pathetic condition than the beggars though they never indulged in begging, was worth more than crores of rupees and hence should be used in a befitting manner. Accordingly it was decided by the Trustees that an Old Age Home for the benefit of such helpless deserving destitute people should be started at the earliest. The efforts of the Trustees and the wholehearted support of the devotees of Lord Ayyappa have finally resulted in the construction of an Old Age Home now nearing completion.
The Trust now looks forward for the support of all kind hearted devotees for the benign cause of uninterrupted running of the Old Age Home for the benefit of the poor and needy old ones of the society. “Maanava seva is the real Maadhava seva” say the scriptures. We appeal all to join in our journey from I to We and from We to He, the divine Lord.
