Mesmerising Mountanious Monumental Thiruvarur Chariat Festival!!
Thriuvarur, a small cocoon and heavenly town, is located in Tamil Nadu, India. Serene luxuriant farmlands boarded by the Western Ghats add exotic natural beauty to the sacred land. The beautiful village is known for its temples and its festivities, a place to convey the rich heritage of India. The holy town is the trinity centre to worship different art forms like dance and music.
Luckily, I got to participate in the chariot festival this year. For this summer vacation, I had been to Thriuvarur to visit my grandparents. I was not much excited because I had already been there significantly during the winter and spent much time alone watching the monotonous life of the people in the neighbourhood. Until I reached Thuiruvarur, I had no clue about the festivity. On our way to our grandmother’s house, I was astounded to see almost all the houses were brightly decorated with colourful flower garlands. The streets were decked with unique multi-coloured rangoli artwork and flowers. The sound of the temples bell was reverberating throughout the town and spreading a sense of mysticism. I grew curious to know the reason behind the festive arrangements. My aunt explained in detail about the monumental chariot festival.
It was fascinating to see almost all the houses of Thiruvarur were teeming with guests and relatives who had come to take part in the celebration. Many of my friends and relatives gathered, and we had great fun. I was very much eager to see the divine Chariot procession about which all were swaggering. As the time passed, I grew restless, and my eyes searched to see some chariot. The temple bells started ringing! It was followed by the resonating drum beats! Almost everyone assembled on the streets to participate in the procession! People began chanting the recitals of the almighty in unison, and the entire atmosphere was filled with a deep sense of spirituality! The mountainous chariot arrived slowly amidst the uproar, beyond my imagination! I was literally thrilled and amazed looking at such 100-foot tall humungous architecture, and that too, it was moving!
It was fascinating to see almost all the houses of Thiruvarur were teeming with guests and relatives who had come to take part in the celebration. Many of my friends and relatives gathered, and we had great fun. I was very much eager to see the divine Chariot procession about which all were swaggering. As the time passed, I grew restless, and my eyes searched to see some chariot. The temple bells started ringing! It was followed by the resonating drum beats! Almost everyone assembled on the streets to participate in the procession! People began chanting the recitals of the almighty in unison, and the entire Indeed, I was flabbergasted to see the chariot move! I could see people pulling the chariot with much difficulty by holding the long thick ropes knotted to it, but I could not get convinced or believe that people could pull such a huge chariot. I wanted to know the vital strategy applied to move the chariot, so somehow I managed to push myself amidst such a vast crowd and reach a little closer to the chariot. When I got to the rear of the chariot, I could see nearly 6 tractors and a hydraulic press were used to push the chariot front.
Moreover, as the chariot moved very slowly, I had an opportunity to view the entire craftsmanship significantly closer. The episodes depicting the sacrifice of King Manunithi Cholan’s son under the chariot driven by the King to do justice to a cow in compensation for the loss of its calf was well sculpted. The sculptures carved on the chariot narrated many historical episodes of the Chola dynasty and the origin of many Nayanmars (Sivate poets). I got muddled thinking about the strategies that our ancestors would have applied to move the chariot. When we literally stumble to transport it with the help of modern technology, how they would have managed!!! I felt proud and happy to realize that our ancestors’ wisdom surpassed our modern technologies! I walked along with the crowd till the chariot reached the temple. My mind was totally filled with admiration for the beautiful architecture. The whole temple arena was echoing with the recitals on Lord Shiva.
Later that evening, the whole town was again filled with pomp of carnival. We hit the open ground near the temple, filled with hundreds of makeshift shops everywhere, well decorated and brightly lit to attract customers. Most of the shops were crowded with people like flies on a sweet. Each and every shop had something unique to serve the people. The delicious aroma of the mouth smacking snacks was clinging to the air around us and literally tempting us to taste every bit of it. The colourful soft drink topped with crushed ice was a delicious treat that one could never miss. The vibrant balloons and attractive toys drew the attention of young kids. Many fun-filled, challenging games were quite thrilling for teens like me. By the fall of night, the sky was beautiful with glittering fireworks, the shops were lit with bright lanterns. The atmosphere was more chaotic with the screams of vendors, the clinging noise of brightly decorated carousels, Pony ride Merry-go-rounds, giant wheels and many more amusement games, but it gave us a most fantastic experience to cherish for our lifetime.
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