Thangamani, J.

Sri Thiyagarajaswami Temple of Tiruvarur is a very ancient one in Southern India. In the temple Pooja or worship has to be done almost throughout the day. There are daily services, the extraordinary services prescribed for a particular week and a particular month and the celebration of the annual festivals. The daily services are 6 in number spread over the day from morning to midnight. There are forms and rituals to be observed with regard to the several services of the day, the weekly, the monthly and extraordinary services and celebration of festivals. The peculiar features of the temple is that apart from an allowance called ‘the Mohini allowance, ‘there is no other property which can now be said to be devoted for its general purpose. There are, however, a number of specific endowments or Katalais relating to the various services in the temple, its festivals and for conducting several charities in glorification of the pagoda of Sri Thiyagarajaswami. The main object of the several Kattalis seems to be to keep the services and the festivals going and to have everything tidy and orderly within the precincts of the temple and to enable the various duties w