Many people have heard of the famous Car Festival of Jagannath of Puri, a seaside town on the east coast of India, in the present state of Orrissa, on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. English writers have used the word juggernaut to describe something big and magnificient.
I have not seen the car festival of Jagannath of Puri, but I have seen the car festival of Nanjundeshwara of Nanjangud, where my parents lived for about sixty years.
I have already described the temple of Nanjundeshwara in Nanjangud, which is a very beautiful example of a big magnificient temple built in the South Indian Chola style.
Once a year, usually in the month of April, the exact
day being determined by the astrologers, there is a big festival in Nanjangud,
centering around the temple, and it is called Doddajatre. A large-sized
wooden chariot about 20 by 20 by 20 feet, is made with a platform. It has
two huge wooden wheels for movement. The images of the dieties Nanjandushwara,
Parvati, Narayanswami, and Ganesha are placed on the top platform of the
wooden chariot, deco
rated in an elaborate manner. The images are dressed
in rich silk and gold clothes and jewels, and multicolored flower garlands
are strung from corner to corner and also adorn the necks of the images.
Two to four priests dressed in typical special clothes meant for the occasion,
stand on the platform, and go on chanting sacred verses in praise of the
dieties.
This beautiful car or chariot is dragged by means of thick jute ropes, which are pulled by probably a hundred or more strong able-bodied young men, on the main streets of the town, beginning at the temple and coming back to the temple after three or four hours. The young men who pull the chariot have taken an oath in the name of the dieties to do this service, so that they can be blessed by the dieties.
To watch this festival, thousands of pilgrims gather in the townmen , women and children from the neighbouring villages, far and near. They have taken their early morning bath in the river Kapila, which flows by the side of the temple, and are decked in clean new clothes of all colors of the rainbow. They line the broad streets on either side, to watch the chariot being dragged slowly. As it comes near the place where they are standing, they shout praises to the dieties. Everybody is happy and are in good mood.
After they see the car festival, the men, women, and children
enjoy themselves, visiting small temporary stalls set up to sell trinkets,
clothes and snacks. Many of them have come from the surrounding villages,
travelling by bullock carts, or by walking. Some might
have come by railway train from Mysore city or Chamaraja Nagar or from
beyond. In the 1930s, when I saw this festival, there were not many buses
or automobiles, but now most of the pilgrims come in buses or station wagons.
Such grand car festivals take place in many temple towns of India, especially in South India.