Temple car

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File:28apr1.jpg
Temple car procession during Thanjavur Chariot festival, Tamil Nadu.

Temple cars[1][2] or Temple chariots are used to carry representations of Hindu deities around the streets of the temple on festival days. These chariots are generally manually pulled by the devotees of the deity.

As of 2004, the Indian state Tamil Nadu had 515 wooden carts, 79 of which needed repairs.[3] Annamalaiyar Temple, Tiruvannamalai, Chidambaram Natarajar Temple are among the temples that possess these huge wooden chariots for regular processions.

The Natarajar Temple 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 size of the largest temple cars inspired the Anglo-Indian term Juggernaut (from Jagannath), signifying a tremendous, virtually unstoppable force or phenomenon.

History

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File:15Tiruvadmarudur Processional Car.jpg
Tiruvadmarudur Temple chariot in 1913.
File:Stone Chariot Vittala Temple.jpg
Stone temple car in the Vitthala Temple built during Vijayanagara Empire, India.

Temple cars are used during festivals called Ratha Yatra, 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.[4] 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.[4][5]

Traveler Fa-Hien who visited India during 400 CE notes the way temple car festivals were celebrated in India.

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Early photographs and lithography of temple chariots

Largest temple chariot

File:Thiruvarur Ther.png
Asia's Largest Temple car "Aazhi Ther (Big Chariot)" in Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu.

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.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8]

Gallery

List of places with traditional Temple cars

India

Tamil Nadu

Karnataka

Odisha

Kerala

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

Malaysia

Sri Lanka

Germany

List of places with golden Temple cars

Andhra Pradesh

  • Lord Shiva temple
  • Narasimhaswami temple and tirumala Sri vari ratham

Karnataka

Puducherry

Tamil Nadu

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  • Arulmigu Yoga Lakshmi Narasimar temple, Sholinghur, Ranipet district.
  • Arulmigu Vijayapuri Amman temple, Vijayamangalam,Erode

As of 2024-2025

Template:Citations needed Tallest Temple Chariot in the World – 150 Feet by Team Nehru Ambalathum Bhagam Thottuva,Pathanamthitta, Kerala. As of 2025, the tallest wooden temple chariot in the world, standing at 150 feet, was constructed by Team Nehru Ambalathum Bhagam for the Thottuva Sri Bharanikavu & Kannambillil Devi Temple in Pathanamthitta, Kerala. Crafted from palm trees and wild jack wood, this magnificent chariot is an engineering marvel and a symbol of devotion.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The chariot is the main attraction of the Kumbha Bharani (Meena Bharani) festival, where hundreds of devotees participate in pulling it through the temple streets, creating a spectacular spiritual event.

2025 ലെ കണക്കനുസരിച്ച്, ലോകത്തിലെ ഏറ്റവും ഉയരം കൂടിയ തടി ക്ഷേത്ര രഥം, 150 അടി ഉയരത്തിൽ, ടീം നെഹ്‌റു അമ്പലത്തും ഭാഗം, കേരളത്തിലെ പത്തനംതിട്ടയിലെ തോട്ടുവ ശ്രീ ഭരണിക്കാവ് & കണ്ണമ്പിള്ളിൽ ദേവി ക്ഷേത്രത്തിനായി നിർമ്മിച്ചു. ഈന്തപ്പനകൾ, തേക്ക് മരം, സ്റ്റീൽ എന്നിവ ഉപയോഗിച്ച് നിർമ്മിച്ച ഈ മനോഹരമായ രഥം ഒരു എഞ്ചിനീയറിംഗ് അത്ഭുതവും ഭക്തിയുടെ പ്രതീകവുമാണ്.

In Tamil Nadu, there are 515 wooden chariots, with several undergoing restoration. Notable temples possessing these massive wooden chariots for regular processions include Annamalaiyar Temple (Tiruvannamalai), Chidambaram Natarajar Temple, and Thyagaraja Temple (Thiruvarur). The Natarajar Temple celebrates the chariot festival twice a year—Aani Thirumanjanam (June–July) and Marghazhi Thiruvaadhirai (December–January). Similarly, Lord Krishna of Udupi has five temple cars, including the Brahma Ratha (largest), Madya Ratha (medium), Kinyo (small), and the silver and gold rathas.

Tamil Nadu had 515 wooden temple chariots, 79 of which required repairs. Major temples with large chariots included Annamalaiyar Temple (Tiruvannamalai) and Chidambaram Natarajar Temple.

See also

References

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