Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 2 The annual chariot festival at Chidambaram Srinatharajar (Nataraja) Temple on Friday was celebrated with great enthusiasm today, drawing thousands of devotees who participated in pulling the temple chariots.
The festival coincided with the Margazhi Aruthra Darshan Utsavam of Natarajamurthy, revered as the cosmic dancer and the presiding deity of the temple, also known as Bhuloka Kailasam.
The deities, including Chitsabai, Natarajamurthy, Sivakamasundari Ambal, Utsava Subramaniar, Vinayagar, and Chandikeswarar, were placed in separate chariots early in the morning. The procession began at 8 am from the Keezhaveethi Theradi stand, with devotees chanting devotional hymns such as "Come, come Nataraja, come and go Nataraja" as they pulled the chariots.
Shiva devotees and many women actively participated in the ritual cleansing of the streets, ploughing as part of traditional customs. The festival also featured Thirumurai Innisai Aradhana recitals, cultural performances in Vannam, including street dances by youths and girls, as well as devotional enactments by Shiva devotees dressed as Shiva and Parvati. The celebrations concluded with a mela concert, adding a vibrant cultural dimension to the religious festivities.
The chariot festival remains a significant spiritual and cultural event in the Cuddalore district, showcasing the local community's devotion and preserving centuries-old temple traditions.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday (December 5), unrest unfolded during the Hindu festival of Karthigai Deepam, a celebration symbolising the triumph of light over darkness.
Trouble began on Wednesday when activists from right-wing groups clashed with police after state government officials failed to light the sacred lamp at the hilltop stone lamp pillar. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had earlier directed that the lamp must be lit at the hilltop temple itself.
For centuries, Thiruparankundram hill has been regarded as a centre of religious coexistence and communal harmony. The hill houses the historic Subramaniya Swamy Temple, the Kasi Viswanathar Temple, and the Sikkander Badusha Dargah, a 17th-century mosque built long after the temples were built.