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| Jagannath rath yatra.freepik.com |
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| Thruvarur Azhi Ther, Tamil nadu.southasianart.gallery |
Among the large and exciting temple festivals of India, the annual Ratha yatra of Jagannath of Puri temple, Odisha and the annual Aazhi therottam (chariot festival) of Thyagaraja Swami (god Shiva), Thiruvarur of Tamil Nadu can be marked out for their uniqueness. The ratha yatra consisting of three rathas from Jagannath temple to Gundicha temple is part of a 9-day spectacular event. The annual car festival of Thiruvarur of Tamil Nadu called Thiruvarur Therottam gets equal weightage and importance for some other reason. The temple car is one of the largest and heaviest in Asia.
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| Thiruvarur (Cauvery delta dist.), Tamil Nadu, Indiamap.com |
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| Puri town, Odisha, India.censusindia.co.in |
Equally as grand as the Puri ratha yatra, the Aazhi Ther thiruvizha of Thiruvarur does not get enough publicity as it deserves from the state tourism department, hence the awareness about this big festival and the huge chariot in other states is very much limited. Its popularity is mostly confined to Tamil Nadu. In terms of grandeur and beauty both Puri and Thiruvarur chariots are equally on par with each other.
The ratha yatra, as it is widely known in states like West Bengal, Odisha or Jharkhand, have joyous and colorful celebrations. On that occasion the representatives of the deities (processional idols or utchavars) coming out of the temple accompanied by devotees with music, dance, etc., will be mounted on a chariot to go on a journey through the Kshetra (region or streets; classified as Maada or Ratha veeyhis in TN) to another temple or to the river or the sea. In many cases as in South India, festivities come to an end upon the idols returning to the sanctum of the temple.
Ratha Yatra of Puri Jagannath, Odisha:
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| Puri Jangannath rath yatra, odisha. upload.wikimedia.org |
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| .Puri jagannath rathas in the making, odisha.indiatimes.com |
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| Puri ratha in the making, odisha.indiatvnews.com |
Tradition has it God lord Jagannath (god Vishnu), every year makes journey to the Gundicha temple - 3 km from the main temple before night fall during the festival along with his brother Sri Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, and his divine weapon Sri Sudarshana, This rath yatra, historian say has been around since 1230 CE.
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| Puri, early ratha yatra painting by J. Fergussion.upload.wikimedia.org |
This festival is observed on the Shukla Paksha Dwitiya Tithi in the month of Aashadha. This year it took place on the first of July 2022 (Friday)
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| Rathas in the making, Puri, odisha..indiatimes.com |
Every year, more than 1000 carpenters work voluntarily to build the three huge chariots as per specification from scratch. No metal nail is allowed in the making of the chariots. The rathas are made from over 13,000 cubic feet of selected wood. As part of the procedure, the logs are set afloat as rafts in the Mahanadi and then transported to this place by road.
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| Wooden wheels, Balabhadra chariot, Puri, Odisha. twitter.com |
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| Puri Jagannath temple, Chariot made of wood. wheelrathyatra.net |
The chariot of ''Balabhadra'' with 14 wheels (ht. 43'.3'') has green and red color canopy with black horses, whereas the chariot of ''Subadhra'' with 12 wheels (six feet and eight inches in diameter; height 43 feet and 3 inches) has red and black canopy - black symbolizes Shakti, the Mother Goddess.
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| Deities of Jagannath temple, Puri.newsable.asianetnews.com |
The construction of the chariots strictly starts on Akshaya Tritiya, in front of the palace of the King of Puri and opposite the main office of the Puri temple.
According to the religious tradition here, the rath yatra begins after Gajapati Maharaja, the King of Puri, wearing the dress of a sweeper, sweeps the ground around all three rathas with idols using fragrant water. He uses specially made golden broom, implying the king is a servant of the lord. The ex-ruler, also known as the first servitor of the Lords, does 'Chhera Pahanra' (the holy cleaning of the chariots). The idols of God Jagannath and others will be back to their abode- garbagriha after a stay of 9 days at the Gundicha Temple. the festival comes to an end upon reaching the main temple.
After the Rath Yatra, the chariots are dismantled and the wood is used in the kitchen of Jagannath Temple to cook Mahaprasad (offering to the deities).
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Aazhi Ther/ Ratha of Thyagaraja Swami, Thiruvarur, TN:
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| Azhi ther Thiruvarur, wooden base. flickr.com |
The festival falls in the Chithirai month - March - April and will be for 25 days. Besides, there are 4 large thers - chariots for other deities - lord's consort, Ganapathi, Subramanya and Sandikeswerer , they will be back to the base in the evening.
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| Azhi Ther (ratha), Thruvarur, TN othibalaji.wordpress.com |
In the case of Aazhi ther/ ratha that carries God Shiva and his consort, the richly decorated wooden base is a permanent one and the decoration of canopy may vary from time to time. The wooden base has intricate carvings of themes taken from the Hindu epics of Mahabharata or Ramayana. There are countless fascinating wooden carvings in the rently made ratha.
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| Azhi ther, Thiruvarur, TN.elevation.maplogs.com |
Thiruvarur chariot festival, is of great antiquity much older than Puri rath yatra. About 7th century it is mentioned in the devotional hymns of saints Appar, Sundarar and Manikkavasagar in Thevaram. The Panguni Uttiram festival of Tiruvarur finds a mention in the seventh regnal year (1140 CE) inscription of Kulottunga Chola. In the ancient Sangam literature Silapathikaram, reference to Azhi ther is mentioned.
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| Azhi ther, Thiruvarur, TN.thehindu.com |
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| Wooden base, Azhi ther, Thiruvarur, TN tamil.news18.com |
Thiruvarur Ther is the largest and heaviest one in Asia - as tall as 10 story building with decorations; the kalasam alone accounts for six feet, thus making the chariot’s overall weight up to 300 to 350 tons. The height of the nicely carved wooden base (made in 1930) as per shilpa shastra alone is 35 feet (width: 31feet) and is made from teak wood. The car is so huge it has be pulled forward by roughly 3000 to 5000 devotees holding the four huge ropes, each measuring 144 feet long and one foot diameter. Specially made hydraulic braking system is in place to stop the car. Also heavy duty bulldozers are used to push the Chariot forward.
Unfortunately the festival was not held continuously at Thiruvarur unlike the ratha yatra of Puri. In 1922, the wooden base of the Aazhi ther was set on fire by the agitating members of Justice party (a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India founded in in November 1916). Fortunately, the panchaloha idol on the burning chariot was retrieved by a master craftsman of the temple construction. The Aazhi ther has been running every year since 2010. In 2020 and 2021, it did not run due to covid-19.
Aazhi therottam is part of the culture of this delta district. Unlike Puri ratha yatra where the deities are taken from the main temple to another temple for 9 day stay and then back to the base, at Thiruvarur the giant chariot procession will move around all the four Maada veethis - streets in the midst of recitation of Thevaram devotional hymns and rendition of Vedas by pundits and finally will be back to the abode before sun down.
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Tit bits:
Brief note on Puri and Thiruvarur Temples:
Thiagaraja Swami Temple Tiruvarur, TN:
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| Thyagaraja swami temple, Thiruvarur, TN.gosthala.com |
Above image: Thyagarajaswami (Lord Shiva) Temple chariot, Tiruvarur, TN. One of the biggest temples in India dedicated to God Shiva, the temple complex alone covers 17 acres of land and the famous temple tank Kamalayayam almost covers about 25 acres and the water won't dry up in the hot summer. So massive, the temple has nine gateway towers (gopurams) in all cardinal directions, 80 vimanas, twelve temple walls, 13 halls, fifteen large temple water bodies, three gardens, and three large prakaras. (prathakshana path) around the sanctum. This temple has the largest number shines (sannidhis) in India. Likewise the temple tank with natural springs in the tank bed is the largest one in this country.
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| Thyagaraja swami temple, Thiruvarur, bharattemples.com |
The main gopuram of the temple is seven-tiered and raises to a height of 118 ft (36 m). The two main Shiva shrines of the temple are for Vanmikinathar (Shiva) and Thyagaraja. Vanmikinathar shrine is older than the other and the deity in the form of a linga swayambhu murti/ self-manifested) is believed to have grown from an ancient anthill (molehill; in Tamil Puttru). Hence no abhishekam is done to him.
Some parts of the temple are dated to 9th CE. The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Veedhi Vidangar (Thiyagarajar) and Alliyankothai (Neelothbalambal) being the most prominent. As no Abhishekam is performed to Valmika Nathar, instead it is done to the Maragatha Lingam (Emerald lingam) kept in this temple. As part of puja ritual Maragatha Linga (known as Veedhi Vidanga Linga) believed to have been worshipped earlier by Indira) worship takes place at 8.30 a.m., 11.00 a.m. and at 7.00 p.m. each day.
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| idols of Thiagarajar and kamalambigai, Thiruvarur, TNmaalaimalar.com/ |
Above image: The idols of Sri Thygaraja and his consort Kamalamba. In the sanctum almost year around their pathm ( holy feet) are not visible except on two occasions. Here their patha darshan is considered very essential. This ancient Sri Thyagaraja temple is dedicated to the Somaskanda aspect of Shiva.
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| Largest temple tank kamalalayam, Thiruvarur, flicker.com |
The unusual temple tradition here is the pathams (holy feet; patha darshan) of Thyagaraja are shown twice a year and rest of the period they are covered with flowers. The idol of Thiagarajar is covered with a piece of cloth and flowers, so that only his and amman's face is visible. His right foot and Parvati's (consort's other name Kondi) right foot are revealed for darshan on Arudra Dharshan in the month of Margazhi, while his left foot and amman's left foot are revealed on Panguni Uthiram.
A rare feature is unlike other temples, here there are two shrines dedicated to navagrahas. The location of two nine Navagraha idols (planetary deities): one toward the south in straight line and also in northwest corner of 1st prakaram - pradakshina path. Legend has it here all planetary deities are free from curses and they came here to worship him.
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Jagannath temple of Puri, Odisha:
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| Coastal Puri,Jagannath temple complex, Odisha.upload.wikimedia.org |
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| Jagannath temple, Puri, Odisha.jansatta.com |
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| Jagannath temple deities, Jagannath and others.opindia.com |
Above image: Three deities of Jagannath temple - Jagannath, Shri Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, Representational image of Jagannath is worshipped even today as Neela Madhab. here Jagannath was a tribal deity, adorned by the Sabar people as a symbol of Narayan. This being due to the fact the three images in the sanctum predate the construction of this temple (completed in 1226 CE). Unlike other temples, devotees can go near the images (idols) or go around them and pray........
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| Main gate puri temple, Odisha, upload.wikimedia.org |
The present temple of Jagannath of Puri, was rebuilt on the old pre-existing site from the 10th century onwards within the enclosure. Thee main temple came up later; last builder: Anantavarman Chodaganga, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. The three wooden images in the sanctum are made of wood - daru (neem wood) and they will be ceremoniously replaced every 12 o 19 years. The sanctified images are mounted on the jewelry-encrusted platform or ratnabedi, (throne of pearls) along with statues of Sudarshana Chakra, Madanmohan, Sridevi and Vishwadhatr. Here, one can see a fusion of Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism.. The deities are also looked upon as Bhairava and Vimala (Devi as the consort of Shiva).
One of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites (four divine sites) - including Rameswaram, Badrinath, Puri and Dwarka, Puri Jagannath is one of the holiest sites for the Hindus who visit from all over the world. and is widely patronized by ISKON. It is an important pilgrimage center for followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, founded by saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who lived in Puri for some time.,
The huge temple complex covers over 400,000 square feet and is surrounded by a high fortified wall. Centuries ago the temple faced raids from Delhi rulers in particular Aurangzeb There are as many as 120 temples and shrines within the confines of this temple. The temple kitchen where Mahaprasad is prepared is the largest in India, perhaps in the world and can feed thousands of people a day. Tasty Food is cooked in earthen pots on fire-wood hearths.
 and Aazhi Ther (Ratha) of Thiruvarur (TN) - How do they differ?){kind=link}