Chariot from Tamil Nadu for Rama Navami Celebrations at Ayodhya
.Sri Kasi Nattukkottai Nagara Satram Managing Society built the wooden chariot at a cost of ₹ 40 lakhs
·The ritual held by Nagarathar between 1882 and 1942, to continue from now on
The wooden chariot built in Tamil Nadu is all set to go around the streets of Ayodhya on April 2nd to mark the birth of Lord Shri Ram. The effort to get the chariot redone was undertaken by the Nagarathaar community through the Sri Kasi Nattukkottai Nagara Satram Managing Society.
The artistically made wooden chariot stands tall at 18.5 feet and 9 feet wide, with 8 pillars and has intricate works of 210 idols. The wooden chariot is the workmanship of the Tamil Nadu award-winning sculptor AR.K. Ekambara Aasari, whose team took a record 66 days to complete the work.
The sculpted idols reflect the idols at the temples in similarity. The 10 avatars of Vishnu, the beautiful look of Hanuman, the grace of Kannan and scenes from Ramayana are beautifully captured in the sculpture form.
The nagarathaar community have been engaged in this ritual for 60 years between 1882 to 1942, which had to be ended post the second world war. The chariot that had been damaged has hitherto been rebuilt after 77 years by the community.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pazha Ramasamy, a Sr. Advocate and President of the Society said “Nagarathaar are known for their honesty, moral virtues and standards. They are also known for their religious virtues and philanthropy. The ritual at Ayodhya was earlier done by the Chathirathaar family from Devakottai, and through the society we have now rejuvenated to continue the ritual after many years.”
Sri Kasi Nattukottai Nagara Satram Managing Society is all set to celebrate the ram navami at Ayodhya on April 1st and 2nd. Hon’ble Justice Dr. M Chockalingam, Shri. V.N.CT. Valliappan, Director, Kamala Theatre, Educationist Shri. Kuzha Karuppiah will be special invitees for the celebration.
The Nagarathaar community have their roots in 96 small towns and big towns like Karaikudi and Devakottai, in Sivagangai and Pudukottai districts.
The community has a strength of around 1.5 lakhs people, and they run around 140 educational institutions across Tamil Nadu. They have also built over 1000 temples across the country, besides the 100s of temples in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia.
