Tiruvarur Chariot festival, known in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

as Tiruvarur Therottam, is a festival following the rituals and traditions associated with the Thyagaraja Swamy temple,

Tiruvarur Thiruvarur () also spelt as Tiruvarur is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing and mea ...

, in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

, India. During the festival, a representation of the Lord Veethividangar (வீதிவிடங்கர்) now called as Thiyagarajaswami (

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

) comes out of the massive ancient temple, with his consort Kondi (கொண்டி) (

Parvathi Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in ...

) to bless devotees while riding in one of the world's largest chariots. The chariot was constructed by Kothanars and it is Asia's biggest chariot.

Description

The chariot is known for being one of the largest of its kind in the country. The festival is one of the ancient festivals that are often mentioned in the devotional hymns of saints like (

Appar Appar, also referred to as ( ta, திருநாவுக்கரசர்) or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Śaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Śaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is ...

Tirugnanasambandar Sambandar (Tamil: சம்பந்தர்), also referred to as Tirugnana Sambandar (lit. ''Holy Sage Sambandar''), Tirujnanasambanda, Campantar or Jñāṉacampantar, was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived sometime in the 7th cen ...

and

Sundarar Sundarar (Tamil: சுந்தரர்), also referred to as Chuntarar, Chuntaramurtti, Nampi Aruran or Tampiran Tolan, was an eighth-century poet-saint of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta tradition of Hinduism. He is among the Tevaram trio, and one o ...

) and many

Tamil literature Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution. Contributors to the Tamil literature are mainly from T ...

, usually held during the summer between months of March and April every year, lasts more than 25 days. On the day of the chariot festival, the uthsava morthi (the lord who comes out for procession) is beautifully decorated and brought out of the temple along with his consort to the Great Car (''Aalhi Ther'' ��ழித் தேர்in Tamil) and go for the procession all day long. This chariot is said to the biggest one of its type in size and height. It is tall and weighs more than 300 tons. Apart from this grand chariot there are 4 more cars for the lord's consort, Ganesa, Subramanya, Kamalambikai and Chandikeswarar, respectively.

Biggest in the World

"'Kothanars' are the main craftsmen of the temple cars. Experienced and expert carpenters do the intricate wood carving of all the deities adorning the base," says scholar and historian Kudavayil Balasubramanian. 'Aalhi Ther' is the biggest temple chariot in Asia. The 30-ft tall temple car rises to 96 ft, after decoration is completed with bamboo poles and colourful cloth, the kalasam alone accounting for 6 ft, all of which take the original weight of 220 tonnes to 350. Incidentally, the massive car of

Valluvar Kottam Valluvar Kottam ( ta, வள்ளுவர் கோட்டம்) is a monument in Chennai, dedicated to the classical Tamil poet philosopher Valluvar. It is the city’s biggest Tamil cultural centre. Location Valluvar Kottam is located a ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

was built on the lines of the Tiruvarur 'Aalhi Ther.'

References

{{Reflist4. Shakthi Vikatan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHrvhK4zROs&t=32s Hindu festivals Tamil culture Tiruvarur district Animal festival or ritual Religious festivals in India Chariots