Temple cars or Temple chariots (Tamil:திருத்தேர்) romanized tiruttēr are used to carry representations of Hindu deities around the streets of a temple on festival days. These chariots are generally manually pulled by the devotees of the deity, or by the priests and other staff of the temple.
As of 2004, the Indian state Tamil Nadu had 515 wooden carts, 79 of which needed repairs. Annamalaiyar Temple, Tiruvannamalai, Chidambaram Natarajar Temple are among the temples that possess these huge wooden chariots for regular processions.
The Natarajar Temple, in Tamil Nadu, India, celebrates the chariot festival twice a year; once in the summer (Aani Thirumanjanam, which takes place between June and July) and another in winter (Marghazhi Thiruvaadhirai, which takes place between December and January). Lord Krishna of Udupi has five temple cars, namely Brahma ratha (the largest), Madya ratha (medium), kinyo (small), and the silver and gold rathas.
The Jagannath Rath Yatra is a grand festival celebrated annually in Puri, Odisha. The festival commemorates the ceremonial journey of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and his sister Subhadra from the main Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple in massive wooden chariots.
The size of the largest temple cars inspired the Anglo-Indian term Juggernaut (from Jagannath), signifying a tremendous, virtually unstoppable force or phenomenon.
History
Temple cars are used during festivals called Ratha Yatra or Rath Yatra is a procession in a chariot accompanied by the public. It typically refers to a procession (journey) of deities, people dressed like deities, or simply religious saints and political leaders. The term appears in medieval texts of India such as the Puranas, which mention the Ratha Yatra of Surya (Sun god), of Devi (Mother goddess), and of Vishnu. These chariot journeys have elaborate celebrations where the individuals or the deities come out of a temple accompanied by the public journeying with them through the Ksetra (region, streets) to another temple or to the river or the sea. Sometimes the festivities include returning to the sacrosanctum of the temple.
Traveler Fa-Hien who visited India during 400 CE notes the way temple car festivals were celebrated in India.
Early photographs and lithography of temple chariots
Largest temple chariot
The procession of the Asia's largest and greatest temple car of Thiruvarur Thiyagarajar Temple in Tamil Nadu features prominently in an ancient festival held in the town. The annual chariot festival of the Thygarajaswamy temple is celebrated during April – May, corresponding to the Tamil month of Chitrai. The chariot is the largest of its kind in Asia and India weighing 300 tons with a height of 90 feet. The chariot comes around the four main streets surrounding the temple during the festival. The event is attended by lakhs of people from all over Tamil Nadu.
The Aazhi Ther is the biggest temple chariot in Tamil Nadu. The 30-foot tall temple car, which originally weighed 220 tons, is raised to 96 feet with bamboo sticks and decorative clothes, taking its total weight to 350 tons. Mounted on the fully decorated temple car, the presiding deity – Lord Shiva – went around the four streets with the devotees pulling it using huge ropes. Two bulldozers were engaged to provide the required thrust so that devotees could move the chariot.
Tallest temple chariot
The grand temple chariot of Sarangapani Temple in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, is regarded as the tallest temple chariot in Tamil Nadu. The majestic ther stands at an enormous height of 118 feet and weighs around 500 tons, making it one of the heaviest and most magnificent wooden temple chariots in India. The annual chariot festival of the temple is celebrated with great devotion during the Tamil month of Chithirai, attracting lakhs of devotees from across the state. Mounted on the richly decorated temple car, the presiding deity – Lord Sarangapani Perumal – is taken in a grand procession around the four Raja Veedhis surrounding the temple. Devotees pull the gigantic chariot using massive ropes amidst traditional music, chanting, and celebrations. Due to the colossal size and weight of the ther, 3 bulldozers and 1 crane are engaged to provide the required thrust, balance, and movement for the smooth procession of the towering temple chariot through the streets of Kumbakonam.
Gallery
List of places with traditional Temple cars
India Tamil Nadu
Alagar Kovil (Kallazhagar Temple) Alwarkurichi, Tenkasi Aragalur Avinashi (Sri Avanashiappar Temple) Bhavani Kooduthoorai, Tamil Nadu (4 chariots) Coimbatore (Koniamman Temple) Chidambaram (Nataraja Temple) Dindigul (Abiramiyamman Kovil) Denkanikottai (Betarayaswamy Kovil) Erode (Chennimalai, Sivagiri, Sivanmalai, Vijayamangalam) Gobichettipalayam (Sri Kondathukalaimman Temple, Sri Balamurugan Temple and others) Hosur (Chandra Choodeswarar Temple) Kadayanallur Kalaiyar Kovil (Swarna Kaleeswarar Temple) Kallal Town (Somasundareswarer Kovil) Kanchipuram (Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Ekambareswarar Temple and others) Karuvalur (Shri Mariamman Kovil) Karamadai (Ranganathaswamy temple) Kumbakonam (Sri Saarangapani Temple, Adi Kumbeswarar Temple and others) Lalgudi (Saptharishishwarar Temple, Lalgudi) Madurai (Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple and others) Mannargudi (Sri vidhya Rajagopalaswamy temple) Minjur (Sri Ekambaranathar temple) Mylapore, Chennai (Sri Kapaleeshwarar Temple) Nanguneri (Vanamamalai Perumal Temple) North Authoor (Sri Somanathar Somasundari Temple) Palani (Sri Dhandayudhapani Temple) Perur (Sri Patteewarar Temple) Pillaiyarpatti (Sri Karpaga Vinayagar Temple) Rameswaram (Ramanathaswamy Temple) Sakkottai, Karaikudi Samayapuram (Maariamman Temple) Sankarankovil (Sankara Narayanasamy Temple) Srivaikuntam (Srivaikuntanathan Permual Temple) – (Fourth largest temple car in Tamil Nadu) Suchindram (Thanumalayan Temple) Srivilliputtur (Srivilliputhur Andal Temple) - (Second largest temple car in Tamil Nadu) Salem (Elampillai, Aranagalur, Rasipuram) Sholinghur (Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple) Srimushnam (Bhu Varaha Swamy Temple) - Second largest temple car in Tamilnadu) Srirangam (Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple) Tenkasi (Kasi Viswanathar Temple, Tenkasi) Tiruchendur (Sri Subramanya Swami temple) Tiruchirappalli (Thayumanavar Temple) Thanjavur (Brihadeeswara Temple) Thirukkadaiyur (Amritaghateswarar-Abirami Temple) Thirukkurungudi (Thirukkurungudi Vaishnava Nambi Temple) Thirukoshtiyur (Sri Sowmiya Narayana Perumal Temple) Thirunageswaram (Oppiliappan Temple) Thirunallar (Dharbaranyeswarar Temple) Thiruparankundram (Subramaniya Swamy Temple) Thirupathiripuliyur (Padaleeswarar temple) Thiruthangal (Ninra Narayana Perumal Temple) Thiruvanaikaval (Jambukeswarar Temple) Thiruvanthipuram, (Devanathaswamy temple) Thiruvarur (Thiyagarajar Temple) - (First largest temple car in Asia) Tirunelveli (Sri Nellaiappar Temple) – (Third largest temple car in Tamil Nadu) Tiruchengode (Sri Arthanareeswarar Temple) - (Fourth largest temple car in Tamil Nadu) Tiruvannamalai (Annamalaiyar Temple, 5 Chariots) Tirupattur (Aruilmigu Muthukumara Swamy Thirukkovil, God Shiva chariot) Thirthahalli Tiruvallur (Veeraraghava Swamy Temple) Tiruvidaimarudur (Mahalinga Swamy Temple) Chariots Triplicane, Chennai (Sri Parthasarathy Temple) Thungapuram (Ariyalur-Perambalur) Vaitheeswaran Koil (vaidyanatha Swamy Temple) Vedaranyam (Vedaranyeswarar Temple) Vickramasingapuram (Sivanthiappar Kovil) Virudhunagar Vasudevanallur (Sri Cinthamani Nathar temple (arthanathiswarar temple)
Karnataka Banavasi
Bengaluru (Someshwara Temple)
Bantwal Gokarna (Sri Mahabaleshwara Temple) Hampi (Immovable stone chariot built by Vijayanagara Kings) Karinjeshwara Kateel (Shri Durga Parameshwari Temple) Kollur, Udupi (Mookambika Temple) Mangalore (Shri Venkataraman temple) Nanjangud (Srikanteshwara Temple) Mulki (Shree Venkataramana Temple) Mulki (Shree Kalikamba Temple) Mulki (Shri Bappanadu Temple) Mysuru (Chamundeshwari Temple) Puttur, (Shri Maha Lingeshsara Temple) Suratkal Udupi Idagunji (Mahaganapathi Temple)
Odisha
Bhubaneswar Puri
Kerala Chettikulangara (Chettikulangara Devi Temple) Cherai Palakkad, Kerala (Many temples in settlements of Palakkad) Andhra Pradesh Kadiri (Sri Khadri Lakshmi Narasimha Swami Temple) Koduru Mangalagiri (Sri Panakaala Lakshmi Narasimha Swami Temple) Srikalahasti (Sri Kalahastheeswara Temple) Tirumala (Sri Venkateshwara Temple) (Sri Bala Tripura sundare sametha sangamesara swami temple sangam jagarala mudi)
Others
Manali New Town (Aiyya Temple) Yanam Mumbai (Lalbaugcha Raja has a Rath yatra like atmosphere for the days of Ganesh chaturthi until Ganesh Visarjan)
Malaysia
George Town (Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple) Kuala Lumpur (Seri Maha Mariamman Temple Devasthanam),(Batu caves for Thaipusam) Teluk Intan (Nagarathaar Sri Thendayuthapani Bukit Mertajam penang (Shri Maha Mangalanayagi Amman Devasthanam, Bukit Mertajam)
Sri Lanka
Colombo Trincomalee (Koneswaram temple)
Germany Hamm, Germany (Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple)
USA
San Francisco Bay Area (Golden Gate Park Rath Yatra) New York City (Rath Yatra)
List of places with golden Temple cars Andhra Pradesh Lord Shiva temple Narasimhaswami temple and tirumala Sri vari ratham Karnataka
Gokarna (Shri Mahabaleshwar temple) Kateel (Shri Durga Parameshwari temple) Kollur (Mookambika Temple) Konchady, Mangalore (Mahalasa Narayani Temple) Udupi (Sri Krishna matha)
Puducherry
Sri Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar, Pondicherry, Puducherry Tamil Nadu
Arulmigu Maruntheeswar, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai Arulmigu Devi Karumariamman, Thiruverkadu, Chennai Arulmigu Vadapalani Andavar, Vadapalani, Chennai Arulmigu Kamatchiamman, Mangadu, Chennai Arulmigu Kanthaswamy, Parktown, Chennai Arulmigu Mundakakanniamman, Mylapore, Chennai Arulmigu Kapaleeswarar, Mylapore, Chennai Maruthamalai, Coimbatore (Subramanya Swamy Temple) Coimbatore (Eachanari Vinayagar Temple) Coimbatore (Thandu Mariamman Temple) Arulmigu MeenakshiSundareswarar, Madurai Arulmigu Solaimalai Murugan, Pazhamudircholai, Alagarkovil Madurai Arulmigu Jambukeswarar, Thiruvanaikkaval, Trichy Arulmigu Nellaiappar Temple, Tirunelveli Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy, Rameswaram Arulmigu Subramaniaswamy, Thiruchendur Arulmigu Kamatchiamman, Kanchipuram Arulmigu Dandayuthapaniswamy, Palani Arulmigu Swaminathaswamy, Swamimalai Arulmigu Subramanyaswamy, Thiruttani Arulmigu Anjaneyaswamy, Namakkal Arulmigu Pachaimalai Murugan, Gobichettipalayam Arulmigu Pariyur Kondathu Kaliamman, Gobichettipalayam Arulmigu Mariamman, Bannari, Erode Arulmigu Velayuthaswamy, Thindalmalai, Erode Arulmigu Arthanareeswarar, Tiruchengode Arulmigu Subramaniyaswamy, Sivanmalai, Tirupur Arulmigu Kottaimariamman, Dindigul Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar, Thiruvannamalai Arulmigu Vaidhyanathaswamy, Vaitheeswaran Kovil Arulmigu Mahalinga Swamy Temple, Thiruvidaimarudur (SILVER CHARIOT) Arulmigu SankaraNarayanaswamy, Sankarankovil Nanguneri (Arulmigu Vanamamalai Perumal) Arulmigu Balamurugan, Raththinagiri Arulmigu Mariamman, Samayapuram Arulmigu Masaniamman, Anamalai Arulmigu Mathurakaliyamman, Siruvachur, Perambalur District Arulmigu Angalaparameshwari Amman, Melmalayanur, Villupuram District Arulmigu Natarajar Temple, Chidambaram, Cuddalore District - the chariot for Pichandavar on the eighth day of 10-day long festival
Arulmigu Yoga Lakshmi Narasimar temple, Sholinghur, Ranipet district. Arulmigu Vijayapuri Amman temple, Vijayamangalam,Erode
See also Ratha Carroccio Carriage
References
External links