All is set for the trial run of the brand new temple car crafted for the internationally famed Sri Brihadeeswarar temple here on April 20. The actual car festival is slated for April 29, an event Thanjavur is poised to witness after nearly a century.
Besides the new temple car, the roads of the four main thoroughfares on which the car is to be drawn have been paved afresh to facilitate a smooth run.
More than 30 sthapathis have been handcrafting the towering car for close to 15 months now. Around 25 tonnes of Iluppai and country teakwood are being used to make the 18-foot tall temple car. The new temple car would be a three-tiered wooden structure atop which rests the devasanam on which the simhasanam is perched. On that simhasanam, the processional deity would be ensconced.
“The specialty of the car work is that we have incorporated the global image of the Big Temple, the steep tower, and the maha nandi as icons on the car. Besides, the sthapathis are taking particular care to ensure that the work reflects the Big Temple’s grandeur in every possible sphere,” say C. Varadaraja Sthapathy and C. Sivadurai Sthapathy, entrusted with the task of crafting the temple car. They have fabricated and crafted more than 30 temple cars so far.
While the sthapathis are crafting the temple car structure, the wheels estimated to rise to a height of around seven feet are being fabricated by the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Tiruchi. The wheels were expected to be delivered in the next few days and aligned with the car.
With work on the new temple car almost completed, the authorities were planning a trial run on April 20 for which the four main streets had been cleared of encroachments and the roads had been paved afresh. The temple car festival, part of the annual Chitrai festivities, was slated for April 29 marking a watershed in the historic annals of Thanjavur city when it would witness the run of the Sri Brihadeeswarar temple car after almost a century. As none had seen the event, all sections of public were eager to savour the spiritual odyssey.
