The cars of the two famous temples in the city – Arulmigu Sugavaneswar Temple and Arulmigu Kottai Perumal Temple – which were languishing in the open were covered with roofs by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) authorities.
This initiative was to protect both the cars and ensure their proper maintenance.
The car festivals of both these temples are held during the ‘Vaikasi Visakam’. As the car developed some snag, the car festival of the Arulmigu Sugavaneswar Temple was not held this year. However, the Kottai Perumal Temple car festival was held as usual.
Since then, both the cars are parked in the open near the Rajaganapathi Temple in Agraharam. The posters and other publicity materials were displayed on the cars and on the wheels, much to the shock of the devotees of the city.
The recent continuous rain proved a cause of further worry to the devotees.
Protesting against the improper maintenance of both the cars, the cadre of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a campaign of cleaning both the temple cars.
The BJP men alleged that despite many representations, the HR and CE Department did not take care for the proper maintenance of these two centuries old cars. They demanded the HR and CE Department to repair and replace the old cars at the earliest. Till then, they announced to carry on the cleaning work regularly to draw the attention of the authorities.
The HR and CE authorities on Saturday covered both the cars, including the roof, with tin sheets. This will ensure safety of the cars and protect them from rain and hot sun.
Meanwhile, the BJP has thanked the HR and CE Department for taking immediate steps for the proper maintenance of the cars. In a statement issued here on Sunday, R. P. Gopinath, General Secretary of the district unit of the BJP, urged the department to continue to maintain them properly.
