The temple chariot, a physical representation of cosmos, carries divinity, hence it is a moving temple that is sanctified for the purpose of carrying the representative of temple gods (utchavars) on it. The wooden base of the chariot is intricately carved with various images of deities in the Hindu pantheon as if the main gods are being accompanied by the sub gods and celestial on the holy journey. The pyramidal top represents vertical limitless dimension and carries a colorful canopy and needed decorations festoons, flowers, etc. Temples follow their distinctive decorations on the canopy. The wooden base, an inverted semi cone, represents the living space. The assumption has been that the ratha, symbolic of cosmos, follows the path of righteousness, overcomes hurdles, instills positivity and eliminates negative forces. The moving wheels symbolize the transient nature of the life and the universe.
Srirangam temple:
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| Chithirai temple car festival, Srirangam, TN. dailythanthi.com |
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| Srirangam temple car srirangaminfo.com |
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| Sirangam temple car wooden base.nativeplanet.com |
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| Srirangam temple chariot wooden base. Pinteret.com |
According to historians the Chithirai festival first began in 1383, it means the festival and the therottam have been around for centuries. At that point of time, only the image of serpent Adisheshan was in the temple in the wake of a massive raid by the Delhi Sultanate army. The invaders laid their arm on everything in the temple and looted vimanam, gopuram, kalasam, etc. Gajana (treasury /coffer) being empty, the ruler asked the people to make donations to the temple to keep it going. There was no money for the nithya Puja. There was no festival in the temple until 1383 CE. The villagers contributed whatever they raised in their lands - rice, jackfruit, bananas and whatever grew in their farms. this year about 1000 police were on duty.
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Mahalingeswar temple, Thiruvidaimaruthur:
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| Mahalingeswarar temple, Thruvidaimaruthur, TN en.wikipedia.org |
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| Mahalingeswarar temple, Thruvidaimaruthur, TN en.wikipedia.org |
Mahalingeswaraswamy Temple of Thiruvidaimarudur (now in Kumbakonam district) dedicated to God Shiva, is an old temple -dated back to the 7th century. One of the temples glorified by the nayanmars - Tamil Shiva saints; saint poet Manikkavacakar (9th century) sang in praise of this place in his works. The idol in this temple is in the form of a lingam, commonly referred to as Jyothirmaya lingam. Here, the lord's consort is Mookambika. Built by various dynasties Pandyas, Cholas, Thanjavur Nayaks and Thanjavur Marathas, the oldest masonry structure being that of Chola - 9th CE, The Nayaks built the gates and towers.(16th CE). The temple is maintained and administered by Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, a South Indian monastic institution and there are amazing sculptures in the temple. details are not available about the chariot festival. However, it is held once a year during brahotchavam.
Kumbeswarar temple Kumbakonam:
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| Kumbeswarar temple, Kumbakonamadhikumbeswarar.org |
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| Kumbeswarar temple, Kumbakonam. upload.wikimedia.org |
Adi Kumbeswarar Temple of Kumbakonam located in the prime place of the city is a popular one closely associated with the Mahamaham temple tank here. The temple is foremost in the Mahamaham festivities. In the form of a lingam, Shiva is referred to as Adi Kumbeswarar; his consort is Mangalambigai Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanmars and Classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam the temple is dated back to the 7th century. Covering an area of 30,181 sq ft (2,803.9 m2) and houses four gateway towers, the temple has many pillared halls built by the Vijayanagara rulers.
The temple has five chariots of various sizes and the car festival takes place as part of annual Maasimaham celebrations (February - March). Besides main deities, gods Subramaniam, Ganapathy and Sandikeswarar will be taken on the chariot as part of the religious procession.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Kumbeswarar_Temple,_Kumbakonam
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Lalgudi Saptharishieeswara temple:
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| indianetzone.com |
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| Lalgudi Shiva temple car. prabhuclicks.wordpress.com |
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| Lalgudi shivan temple car. prabhuclicks.wordpress.com |
Lalgudi, an important pilgrimage center, has a popular Shiva temple - Saptharishieeswara, believed to have been built by the Chola dynasty; here the consort is Parvati (Mahasampath Gowri). Senni Vaikkal, a nearby village located almost 4 kms away from Lalgudi houses a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The lingam is made of Maragatham i.e. emerald and is 'Karupacchai' i.e. black green in colour. The temple also houses the idol of Meenakshi Sundareswarar. According to mythology it is stated that the temple was constructed by Kumbera's sons The shrine is almost in ruined state and requires renovation
Annually in the Tamil month of Panguni there will be a car festival and the deities will be taken round the Ratha Veethys (streets) and the main temple chariot is a big one. There are excellent carvings on the wooden base. The temple has 5 chariots of different sizes.
https://www.indianetzone.com/65/lalgudi.html
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| Arudhra dharan, Chidambaram nataraja temple, TN. thehindu.com |
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| carved mythological images, Chidambaram temple car. in.pinterest.com/ |
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| Temple chariot, wooden base,www.alamy.com |
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| Chdambaram Nataraja temple, TN chariot Shutterstock |
Above image: Sri Chidambaram Nataraja temple. Wooden Chariot base decorated with beautifully carved sculptures depicting Lord Shiva's incarnation and related episodes...........
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| Tamil Nadu, intricate wood carvings.Temple chariot,alamy.com |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nataraja_Temple,_Chidambaram
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