The chariot festival’s cultural significance

The annual chariot festivals celebrated in temples across Tamil Nadu is on. Each one is unique in its own way

It is an awe-inspiring moment to watch a huge chariot carrying the processional deities, trundling along the streets, during the annual chariot festivals held in temples across the state. The colourful cloth canopy, strings of festoons, flowers, etc., and the wooden horses fastened to it, the juggernaut carrying the processional deities, is a sight to behold.

The celebration of car festival in temples is an age-old practice in India. It is said that there are references about the word ‘car’ (Ratha) in the Rig and Atharva Vedas, and that there is a mention of ‘car festival’ in the Shatapatha Brahmana, an important Sanskrit text. Also texts such as the ‘Padma’, ‘Skanda’, and ‘Bhavishya’ puranas mention about car festivals being held in temples. There are references about military and royal chariots in the Ramayana, the Mahabaratha, and other Tamil literary works.

But, the use of chariots in temples has a significance. All over the world, the movement of the Sun god, by a car, is well established in various texts.

Over the millennia, various deities were associated with the ‘Sun God’, who is also referred to as the ‘God of friendship’ in the Rig veda, and by extension with the car festivals.

Among the various festivals like float festival, and adhyayana utsavams, held in temples, car festival is considered one the most significant. Besides the ritualistic practices, there have been a social purpose too, behind introducing chariots in temple worship.

Since a chariot is a moving temple, it makes it possible for the infirm, the poor, and the aged to worship their favourite deities, not by visiting the deity at the temple, but by getting the darshan of the deities at their doorsteps. Also, a temple car being drawn by a huge number of devotees, who represent different strata of the society, signifies that everybody is equal before god.