Part 7: temple chariots

Apparently describing a city in the Tamil plains, Sapir wrote: “Outside before the gate of the city stand great wooden wheels (galgalim), of the height of three men, and they have small discs (‘ofanim), and upon them were all kinds of images, and all the graven images of the likeness of these circled round and round the wheels and the discs.” What was Sapir describing? What did this look like? Was he describing only the wheels, or the entire vehicle (ratha), a sacred wagon used for transporting deities around a city during certain festivals?

The two temple chariots of Meenakshi Temple were kept in two sheds located about a mile from the temple. The wheels were plain, decorated only with concentric circles.

But the sides of the vehicles themselves had elaborately carved figures, suggestive of Sapir’s phrase, “all kinds of images.” (wheel)

Wheels of other sacred chariots (from internet)

Konark, 13 th c. – Sun God’s chariot, with images Hampi, 16 th century – Garuda’s chariot

“great wooden wheels (galgalim), of the height of three men, and they have small discs (‘ofanim)” Did Sapir mean that the chariots had both large and small wheels, like the chariot of Velluvar? chariot shrine at Velluvar Or did Sapir mean that the large wheels had smaller concentric wheels inside them?

“On the days of their festivals all the people of the city gather together and lift them on their shoulders, because they are an exhausting burden‎ ‎even for hundreds of men, and they ‎move it ‎around the city on every road, with a great tumultuous voice, songs, and dances.” What (“they, them”) do the people lift? What (“it”) do they move around the city?

Madurai chariots being pulled on city streets, Chitirai festival

From “Two Citra Festivals in Madurai,” by Dennis Hudson: “The men, numbering several hundred, picked up the heavy ropes at a certain signal, pulled together at another signal, and continued pulling until they received another signal to stop. … As the procession moved, firecrackers announced its coming. The motion of these cars is awe-inspiring; they sway from side to side, rush quickly forward and then suddenly stop, shaking at times as if they are about to fall apart. Turning a corner is especially startling.”