The colourfully decorated wooden cars (chariots) with mythological images engraved on them are vital for the conduct of the car festivals at temples.
However, the Sri Thiyagaraja Swamy temple in Tiruvottiyur here has been managing without a car since 1942.
“The temple has been managing without a car since 1942. Chief minister J. Jayalalithaa has sanctioned Rs 40 lakh for making the car, taking into account the need for the car and also the request from devotees,” said state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment minister M.S.M. Anandan.
The temple authorities have also received about ` 6 lakh from philanthropists.
The entire sum would be spent on making the wooden car.
The work of making the chariot has commenced and it would be ready by this year-end, said the minister. “No one could recall what exactly happened to the car before we got our Independence.
However, because of the lack of a chariot, the car festival had not been conducted all these years,” said K. Kuppan, AIADMK legislator from Tiruvottiyur.
The chariot would be inducted and used for the first time in the temple’s history after the Kumbhabhishekam scheduled early next year, he told Deccan Chronicle.
The chief minister had granted about Rs 1.1 crore for taking up renovation work in view of the Kumbhabhishekam, besides allocating Rs 25 lakh for renovating the teppakulam (tank) and ensuring water source to it.
Sri Adi Sankaracharya was said to have visited the Sri Thyagaraja temple. Carnatic composer Thyagaraja visited this temple and composed the Tiruvottiyur Pancharatna in praise of Goddess Tripurasundari, which is dedicated to Lord Siva.