An interesting feature of the Tiruvannamalai Karthigai Deepam festival is the main chariot called Maha Ratham was renovated last month itself along with other small chariots called Pancha Rathas The restoration and renovation works were undertaken after 5 decades or so. Special care was taken to restore and redesign important parts of the main ratha such as Devasthanam, Narasana, Simhasana, decorative pillars, and sculptures of Brahma, Dwarapalas, Simmayazhi, and Kodiyazhi without deviating from the traditional styles and positions on the ratha. Here at Tiruvannamalai, the charioteer of the Maha Ratham carrying the idol of God Shiva (Annamalaiyar) is God Brahma just like Lord Krishna who acted as Charioteer for Arjuna during the Kurukshetra war.
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| Tiruvannamalai temple, Maha Ratham TN ficker.com |
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| Tiruvannamalai temple, Maha Ratham TN ficker.com |
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| Tiruvannamalai temple, Maha ratham i.ytimg.com |
Apart, specific repairs were also carried out on the chariot wheels and hydraulic brakes under the supervision of engineers from BHEL Company along with engineers from the Public Works Department. The latter (Construction) inspected and certified the stability of the restored chariot. This ratham is 59 ft tall and weighs about 200 tons. The total cost of repairs is around Rs. 70 lakhs.
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| old image.Tiruvannamalai, Main Ratham th-i.thgim.com |
Further to test the stability and durability of the newly restored Ratham on the roads, a trial run was conducted between 7 am and 8.30 am on November 8 along the Maha Veedhi on Friday. Thousands of devotees turned up to witness The Maha Ratham (periya ther) that had been thoroughly renovated for the firs time in five decades. The trial run took place in the midst of vedic chants and Tamil devotional hymns. around 12.30 noon the Maha Ratham came back to the main campus and trial test lasted for roughly 4 hours.
Before the trial run for the smooth run, officials removed the road side encroachments. For this trial run about 2000 police personnel were on duty for crowd control. Lots of devotees, including college students took part by pulling the chariot ropes, with religious fervor adding religious and social spirit to this rare event.
The 10-day Karthigai Deepam festival at Tiruvannamalai Annamalaiyar Temple commenced on December 4 with the traditional flag hoisting ceremony in the early morning on the temple premises. This was done before the presence of important government and temple officials. In this 10 day festival event the seventh day December 10 is earmarked for the chariot procession along the Maha Veedhis round the huge temple.
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