Nattukotai Chettiar Temple trustee A Narayanan said the century-old chariot – built in Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, India, and shipped to Penang in January 1894 – has undergone refurbishing and cleaning in anticipation of this year’s Thaipusam celebration on Tuesday.
“We have been using the same chariot since 1894, only changing a few parts such as the chariot wheel,” he told Bernama at the Veedu Kovil Temple here recently.
“This year, the preparations began three to four weeks before Thaipusam. We only fixed damaged parts, but the structure was maintained.
“We also replaced broken lights and had previously planned to use LEDs to decorate the chariot but they were not bright enough, so we kept the incandescent (filament) lights so it would be brighter.”
As is customary, the silver chariot – which stands at 7.1m high and weighs five tonnes – will be pulled by two oxen at a time. To ensure the animals do not get tired throughout the procession, nine pairs of bulls will be used.
Narayanan explained that each pair of oxen will pull the chariot for a distance of less than 1km, with the total distance covered being 9km.
He added that the use of bulls is a tradition in honour of Nandi, the sacred bull considered to be the protector of the family of Lord Shiva in Hindu tradition. Lord Murugan is the son of Lord Shiva.
Prior to 1894, a wooden chariot had been used for 35 years during Thaipusam in Penang.
According to Narayanan, the silver chariot will start its journey from the Nagarathar Kovil Veedu Temple on Lebuh Penang at 7am tomorrow (Feb 10), passing through Chulia Street, Victoria Street, Maxwell Road, Jalan Datuk Keramat and Western Road, before arriving at the Nattukottai Chettiar Temple before midnight.
For the return journey, it will depart from the Nattukottai Chettiar Temple between 6.30pm and 7pm on Wednesday and arrive at the Nagarathar Kovil Veedu Temple before 8am on Thursday.
The celebration in Penang is unique as it is celebrated a day earlier than Thaipusam. Known as Chetti Pusam, it is a procession on the eve by Chettiar devotees in the state, who carry peacock kavadi along with the silver chariot.