The new chariot of Sri Brihadeeswarar Temple here rolled out on its trial run gleaming under the early morning sun. The Big Temple finally got its chariot, the first in over a century as hundreds of eager townsmen, hailing the Lord, came together to draw the chariot.
For all the people of Thanjavur, young and the elderly, it was their first glimpse of the Big Temple chariot run ritual as the temple never had experienced that chance in the last nearly 100 years. The new chariot, radiating the pleasant smell of fresh paint, commenced its journey on the four main thoroughfares.
Earlier, sivacharyas performed special poojas and conducted rituals on the simhasanam, representing the Lord, and held over that a flashy umbrella as a mark of respect before waving the green flag as a sign to start pulling the chariot. Immediately, hundreds of devotees gathered for the occasion, reverentially picked up the huge ropes of the chariot and tugged at the car that wobbled and then instantly stabilised to give a perfect start.
As the giant wheels of the wooden car crushed the sacred ash gourds, as a mark of tradition to ward off evil, at the starting mark and commenced their run, the nimble-footed assistant charioteers scrambled at frequent intervals to deftly place the sloped wooden chunks with a handle to turn or to halt the chariot.
The magnificent chariot started off from opposite the Sri Ramar temple on West Main Street and travelled through North Main Street, East Main Street and South Main Street where officials had cleared them of all encroachments and impediments and returned to the newly-constructed base on West Main Street from where it would start on April 29 for its maiden run with the Lord on top.
Collector N. Subbaiyan and Superintendent of Police G. Dharmarajan supervised and facilitated the arrangements. A host of government departments had deployed their men and machinery including heavy earth moving equipment to ensure a trouble-free run for the chariot.
