The blue enamel street name boards were very common in Madras once. They have been replaced by modern signages but some remain. The steps lead to the chariot of the Kothanda Rama Swamy temple.
Blue Enamel Board
Tag: chariot
Changing Colours
Change is inevitable. Even the wheels of the Parthasarathi swami ther have undergone a transformation in colour and design.
Here, a devotee places granular salt under the wheels before the thaer with the deity is taken out.
Picture from last year is below.
Salt under the Wheels
During the Thiruvallikkeni Sree Parthasarathy Temple ‘ther’ festival I observed that rough granular salt was poured in front of the wheels. Is this a religious ritual or is there any scientific reason for this?
The Cortege
As we entered Mylapore maada veedhi, a procession with drummers, dancers, firecrackers and a van decorated like a ratham, greeted us. It was no festival but a funeral. While we took this in our stride, a group of curious tourists started clicking away.
At the Rath Yatra
The Hare Krishna Movement or The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON, for short) conducted a Rath yatra on Saturday, starting from the Elliott’s Beach Besant Nagar. This Young devotee was spotted at the start of the yatra.
Chariot for the Gods
Almost every Hindu temple has a wooden chariot or “ther” to take out the idols on procession on designated occasions. Though they are used only occasionally, great attention is given to the chariots. Most have very elaborate wooden carvings matching or even surpassing the stone sculptures in beauty. They are also adorned with all ‘alankarams’ when needed: otherwise, they are confined to their sheds. Modern technology is nowadays used for wheels, axles, brakes etc to enhance the safety factor.
The above ‘ther’ is from the Kodanda Rama Temple, West Mambalam. It has recently been spruced up for a festival.
Temple Chariot motif
Marundeeswarar temple, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai
Crowd effect
In a city like Madras, there is no dearth of temple festivals. Attending a temple festival gives one spiritual upliftment and social enlightenment. For a photographer, it provides also varied photo-ops.
However, physically, one may feel drained out like the figures in the temple ‘ther’ (chariot) above.
From The Chennai Photowalk #98 – Triplicane
Madras Nalla Madras. A photo blog on Madras, that is Chennai 