What is the history and significance of Shatari that is used in the Sri Vaishnava temples to bless the guests?

The question is good. Please correct the question. Those who go to Sri Vaishnava Temples are not Guests. They are called Devotees or Bhaktas. There is a lot of differences between the Guests and Devotees.

In all Sri Vaishnava temples, Shatari has a special position. The devotees feel an ecstatic pleasure and enjoy the divine grace when Shatari is placed on their head by the head priest or the Acharya.

Sri Nammalwar:

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Sri Nammazhwar stayed on this planet till he turned 32 and the Lord Himself came to take him to Vaikuntha. Nammalwar has compiled 1,296 hymns during his lifetime. As Nammalwar had expressed his intense desire to dwell under the lotus feet of the Lord, a crown which symbolizes Nammalwar’s head, with the lotus feet of the Lord on the top of it is kept in the Vaishnava temples. That crown is called Shatari, which is one of the names of Nammalwar, and is symbolically placed on the heads of the devotees who visit the temple to indicate the Lordship of the Supreme Lord and our position as the servants of His lotus feet. Madhurakavi-alwar, who believed in Charma-nishta, which means considering devotion to one’s spiritual master as the means for liberation, also followed Nammalwar very soon. Madhurakavi-alwar has compiled just eleven stanzas glorifying his spiritual master in his lifetime and his work is called Kaninsiruthambu.

Interestingly, the Satari or the crown taken from the feet of the lord and placed by a priest on the head of a devotee for blessings, is none other than Sadagopan himself. Sri Nammazhwar is called Sadagopan.‘Satari’ is derived from ‘Sadagopan’. Sri Nammazhwar decided to remain at the feet of the lord, hence eulogised (in the physical world) in the form of a crown placed at the feet of Sriman Narayana.

Significance of Shatari:

In the Sri Satari, we can find the thiruvadis (two feet at the top of the Satari), which are said to be the feet of Srman Narayanan and this says that Sri Nammalwar is holding the Thiruvadi of Sriman Narayanan on his head. Sri Nammazhwar is considered to be the Lotus Feet of Sriman Narayanan.

In this kali yuga, Sri Sriman Narayana's Holy Feet is the only visible and tangible object for surrender and consecration. To constantly aspire for His Grace by consecrating our small selves by offering our every living moment, to reject unwanted distractions of this mundane world and to totally surrender all our being always to Him and Sadari helps us by putting our heads in the right place - under His Feet. Finally, we saw that even the saints plead to Him at His Feet.

Shatari eliminates all the wicked thoughts from our mind. Similarly, Paduka Sahasram will make us sacred, and wise.

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RE:

What is the history and significance of Shatari that is used in the Sri Vaishnava temples to bless the guests?

Vaishnava Temples

Don't know about the history but the significance of the blessing the devotee by placing the Shatari on the head of the devotee is to give us devotees a feeling of surrender of our false ego at the feet of the Lord.

The essence of spiritual life and it first step towards it is Humility (Amaanitvam) - which comes with absence of any false sense of ego.

Since man wants to lord it over things and other beings, this above act symbolizes and gives us the realization that we are nothing and we do nothing and surrendering our false sense of ego at the feet of the Lord gives us that knowledge and realization that we have to be humble to every beings as the Lord is seated in the heart of all beings.

Shatari essentially means the feet of the lord. Shatagopa, popularly known as Nammazhwar was a great devotee who composed the Thiruvaimozhi, widely accepted as the tamil translation of Sama Veda.

Shatagopa was the first Acharya to set foot on earth according to the Acharya Ratna Hara in the Srivaishnava Tradition. It starts from Narayana, who is regarded as the Acharya for Lakshmi, who is the Acharya for Vishwaksenar, and Nammazhwar is the incarnation of Vishwaksenar.

The Prabandhams were given to Nathamunigal by Shatagopa after he recites Kanninumsiriththambu, a hymn in praise of Nammazhwar by his disciple, Madhurakavi Azhwar. Then they were passed down to future generations, namely Uyyakkondar, Manakkal Nambigal, Yamunacharyar, Periya Nambigal, Ramanuja, Embar, Bhattar, Namjeeyar, Nampillai, Vadakku Thiruveedhippillai, Pillailokacharyar and Manavala Mamunigal, from whom Acharyas have been descending till today.

In Srivaishnava tradition, Acharyas have widely been recognized as Uddharakas for moksha prapti, so it is first essential to go to an Acharya before reaching god. Nammazhwar, being the first acharya, is given the honor of being referred to as the feet of the lord, Hence the name Shatari.

In Nammazhwar Sannidhi, his feet are called Ramanuja (Following from Poomannumadhu pasuram). Ramanuja's feet are called Mudhaliyandan (Who was a great shishya of Ramanuja).

The shatari is kept near the feet of the lord and placing it on our head symbolizes the blessing of the lord by placing his lotus feet on our heads.

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