Tilakayat :- Head of the Pushti Marg sect. Highest Acharya and head of the Vallabh dynasty. All staff (seva-wale / Karamchaari) of the great haveli, as well as the national branches of the haveli report to him.
An overview on various temple staff (seva wale) of Nathdwara.
(Names & Terminology)
Bade-Mukhiyaji :- The pman who adorn the Lord and is in-charge of the day-to-day activities in the inner sanctum.
Chadidarji :- Chief stewards who announce the arrival of important people into the inner sanctum
Adhikariji (Shri Krishna Bhandar) :- Chief treasurer to the Lord. Records large gifts of cash and materials to the Lord. He also looks after the Lords' jewels.
Samadhaniji :- They record the cash gifts and sevas for the Lord.
Kirtaniaji :- Musicians to the divine court. Their classical singing accompanies almost all activities in the inner temple. From the moment the Lord awakens to the moment goes to sleep, musicians are at hand to entertain the Lord.
Rasoiaji :- Cook and prepare all the food stuff in the temple.
Baal-Bhogiyaji :- Prepares anna-sakhadi (sweets) for the Lord.
JalGharia :- Carry heavy (silver) urns of water from the well/ river to the temple.
PhoolGhariaji :- Make garlands, flower arrangements and adorn the swings etc. in the temple.
PaanGhariaji :- Make the beetelnut "paan" for the Lord.
DoodhGhariya :- In charge of Milk Products for the Lord i.e. Makhan-Misri, Malai, Basundi etc.
Jhapatiaji :- They help clear the area directly in front of the inner sanctum by coaxing, and if need be, by "hitting" the pilgrims with a "Jhapat" from a cotton scarf.
Gvalji :- Look after the cows of the Lord and bring their milk to the temple. During festival (Diwali) days, they all bring the cows and calves to the temple.
Darji :- Tailors of the Lord. Apart from sewing new clothes for the Lord, they also sew the flags, scarves, quilts, simple pichwaies and curtains of the temple.
Santri (Shrinath Gurad) :- Guards of the Lord. They guard the many doors and gates of the great Haveli. They are also responsible for the safety of the pilgrims.
Shreenath Band :- Personal Band which plays outside the main gate of the Temple during big festivals like Janamashtami, diwali etc. & at Moti Mahal on functions of Tilkayat Family.
There are innumerable sevaks of the Lord. Those listed above are but the most obvious and "visible" sevaks of the Lord. Many others perform the various services in the inner and outer temple of the Lord, without being really seen or noticed by the pilgrims.
Number of goldsmiths and jewellers are also employed/ commissioned by the temple to make the various jewels, plates, bowls, toys and furniture for the lord. Painters and decorators repaint the entire haveli every year. Due to the size of the haveli, some are kept on as permanent staff, whilst others work mainly during the weeks preceding the new year festivities (before Divali).
To account for illness, holidays, and general "un-availability*" of staff, up to 300 men are employed as "spare" in the parachana section, who can be called into work at the drop of a hat.
As ShriNathji owns a number of other properties outside Nathadwara, offices are setup in cities like Bombay and Calcutta to deal with "His investments". Buildings, temples, shops, farms, cattle etc. are all looked after from these offices and are centrally controlled from Nathadwara.
* Temple servants must abide by the Hindu Laws on purity. As a result, a man/ woman may become "impure" (and thus unavailable for temple work) for a number of reason. For example, birth or death in the family (pindru or sutak) leads to an automatic exclusion from temple service for a number of days - depending on who and where this occurred. The birth/ death does not have to occur in the house itself to incur the impurity. Even if a family member dies abroad, the ritual impurity would exclude the temple servant from working for atleast 10-15 days. Illness would also make a servant unavailable for work and an automatic leave of three days was granted to allow the temple servant to get over his illness.
It is for reasons of "purity and impurity" that the temple does not directly employ any women in the temple itself.
However, this is not to say women cannot work in the temple. Many volunteer themselves as and when they can in the various sevas of the Lord. Shaak Ghar, Phool Ghar, Paan Ghar, are the favorites amongst female pilgrims.
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