Sri Krishnaswamy Iyengar hailed from a humble Brahmin family of Kausika Gothra belonging to Sama Veda sakha at Manalur near Aduthurai in Tanjavur district. The family migrated to a near by village called Tirubuvanam on the banks of Veera cholan river, looking for greener pastures. The village is situated near the famous town of Kumbakonam, one of the 108 Divyadesas in which the Lord is in reclining posture, which is, called Udyoga sayana that is neither lying down nor sitting! As if to respond to the call of his devotee without delay! He was aptly called Aparyaptamrthan, along with his consort Komalavalli daughter of Hemarishi. Other important kshetras are Oppiliappan koil, Tirucherai, and Nachiyar koil. Sri Krishnaswamy Iyengar served the Sri Kothanda Ramaswamy temple at Tirubuvanam maintained by the local business community.
They had a Sourashtra Baktha Jana Sabha that was responsible for the up keep of the temple. The family took refuge in the choultry and Sri Krishnaswamy iyengar served as a temple cook. He and his wife Smt Vanjulavalli had three sons and two daughters to support! They were Srinivasaraghavan, Veeraraghavan, Ramaswamy,Kanakavalli and Pankajavalli. These very names indicate his devotion to Sri Rama!
The eldest son named Srinivasaraghavan (1891-1952) was very intelligent and had flair for business! He joined a local business outfit manufacturing and selling silk sarees.He joined them as an accounts clerk. During that period the entire community was engaged in silk cloth weaving and marketing. Many business families thrived during the period and to this day, in this tinsel town that is famous for silk sarees.
Early mornings used to present a colourful picture, both men and women folk engaged in tending the silk and gold threads. Village women selling green vegetables beckoning the households to buy them! Few goats carelessly grazing oblivious of their surroundings. It gives a picture as though the long arms of time have never touched this village and disturbed its tranquility! The village was also a very famous Siva Kshetra and the temple of Sri Kamphahareswara and Dharmasamvardhini Ammbal is well known for its Chola period architectural splendour!
Srinivasaraghava Iyengar was a very pious and devote person and his fervor for truth and devotion to Sri Rama earned him a lot of good will among the village folks. His towering personality with a prominent vaishnavite insignia on his forehead and his ever- affable smile, added a saintly aurora to him, and he was compassionate to all. They looked up to him for wise counsel. As days passed he grew in stature. His in born business acumen was the driving force behind him and this prompted him to start a business of silk cloth weaving and marketing in partnership with another weaver who was also the village chieftan namely Nattanmai Ramaswamy Iyer. In those days Brahmin families were not known to enter the business arena. But Srinivasaraghava Iyengar was an exception. He also became adept in conversing in the local tongue and soon emerged as an expert orator too! Their business quickly thrived and grew leaps and bounds!
He came to operate as a master weaver of nearly one hundred looms. The duo was well known in the village and was good friends too! Later Sri Ramaswamy Iyer wanted to concentrate on money lending business a micro finance venture and Sri Srinivasaraghava Iyengar parted ways and started his own business of silk cloth weaving and marketing along with his two brothers.
Though they had parted ways they were friends as always. The business flourished and they opened two branches in Chettinad in Keezacheevalpatti and Valayapatti too. All the brothers and sisters got married and were well settled. Sri Srinivasaraghava Iyengar was married to Jambakalakshmi ammal from Mannarkudi. They had a daughter and a son. Sri Veeraraghava Iyengar was married to Komalavalli and they had three sons and four daughters. Sri Ramaswamy Iyengar was married to Jayalakshmi ammal and had three sons and two daughters. As the family grew in size, the need to chalk out their own path to progress was felt, and brothers split the business into three business units and continued their business.
Sri Srinivasaraghava Iyengar’s business establishment was popularly known as “Peria iyengar kadai” He was very successful businessman of his times. The shop cum house, used to present a busy picture right from the morning till night. Activities like bleaching and dying of silk threads and unwinding of gold threads would go on in the hindquarter of the house. He used to sit on the mat made of reeds, a traditional way to decorate the interiors of such shops those days! Weavers, workmen, customers and visitors used to stream in and out and transact their business. A personal touch exuded his demeanor. His products reached far away places of the country.
His customers as well as his associates were treated with courtesy and often enjoyed his hospitality of being served hot lunch or dinner on plantain leaf by his untiring wife! The guests were often found to remark that they felt like visiting a relative! Even the workers and the farm hands looked up to his wife in the same way. She was always reassuring to them. Oft repeated remark was that one never left hungry, visiting Periamma (grandmother), what ever be the time of the day!
He was so industrious, that he introduced many new methodologies in dying silk! He went to Orissa forests to buy areca nut to be used as pigments! He risked his life to tread the dreaded forests of Berhampur during those days when buffalo driven carriages were used to transport goods to the nearest railway yards. He had to spend nearly six months in those inhospitable terrains to procure his raw material. People back home had almost given up hope of seeing him alive. Something unheard of those days! He explored new business avenues by supplying cloth for the parachutes used by the armed forces. He also created a brand for “Kooraipudavai” or the saree that is used to this day during the marriage ceremonies of Hindu Brahmin families.
He got his daughter Smt Jayalakshmi married to Sri Narasimhachary son of Tandalam Sri Aravamudha Iyengar of Big street, Kumbakonam. Sri Narasimhachary was the eldest of his three sons and one daughter of Sri Aravamudha Iyengar and Smt Namagiri ammal couple. Later Sri Narasimhachary got his daughter Smt Komalavalli married to Sri Srinivasaraghava Iyengar’s son Sri Kannan.
Srinivasaraghava Iyengar’s devotion to Sri Rama is well known and he organized Srimad Ramayana discourses and he himself used to recite Valmiki Ramayana and arranged a renowned scholars like Villiambur Swamy, Gaddam Sri Vardachariyar swamy to translate the verses and expound them the local folks. He was also appointed as Mudradhikari of Kanchi Kamakoti peetam for propagating the spiritual values and bakthi among people. Many people of the village used to throng to his house to hear these religious discourses. He used to get up early in the morning when the whole village was still asleep and would go to the river Veerachozan a mile away to take his morning bath and also bring water in a brass vessel reciting Vedic hymns to bathe the presiding deity at home during his morning pooja! He was a connoisseur of Karnatic music and had a melodious voice and used to sing songs in praise of Lord Rama. People used to hear him singing in a captivated mood! His grand children at home were so fond of him; that they would readily shed their anger and accept food, for a melodious song on Rama from him! Later his youngest brother too took to singing in praise of the Lord!
Till his advanced age he had never failed to perform his religious routines. His ardent bakthi and adherence to truth won the hearts of his village folks and endeared them. Many pious men and saints used to visit his house and stay there on their way to pilgrimage. Notable among them were Maha swamigal Sri Chandrasekarendra Sarasvati of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti peetam, and Annadhana Sivan who was famous religious personality who conducted Annadhanam in a grand scale for about thousand people in those days! And many pontiffs of Sri Ahobila mutt.
During his last days, his failing health restrained him from much of movement, but even then he did not swerve from Ramayana recitation. He passed away in the night after recitation and discourse of Ramayana, it was a special day! The chapter describing the episode wherein Sri Hanuman finds Sita and hands over the insignia (a jewel) that Sri Rama wanted to be given to Sita to reassure her that she will be rescued vanquishing the asura. As a mark of the occasion boiled lentil seeds had been prepared as offering to the Lord, apart from the usual grated coconut with sugar. Attendance was more than usual; almost the whole village had turned out. A large number of children too had shown up to taste the offerings that were distributed among the devotees. He was in a very happy mood and that day’s discourse went off with much fan fare! But after he retired and around midnight he complained of discomfiture and suddenly passed away, the villagers simply could not reconcile to this fact! And the whole village bid him adieu with tears in their eyes and singing “Ragupathi Raghava Rajaram” till his mortal remains were consigned to flames! And even to this day the people of the village fondly remember him and recall their happy days with him.
