These photographs are from Wednesday the 21st November; the day of Maha Radham, the biggest and grandest procession of Deepam Festival. I was very eager to attend so decided to turn up early. Walking towards Arunachaleswarar Temple around 9 a.m. I met up with the oncoming Vinayaka chariot which was preceded by Rukku the Temple Elephant. On this day a total of five chariots will go around the perimeter roads of the Temple; Vinayaka, Lord Murugan, Parashakti, Chandikeswarar and finally on the giant chariot, Arunachaleswarar (Shiva) with Unnamulaiyaal (Parvati).
Rukku is very nicely dressed for the day wearing her cover of the Goddess Meenakshi.
In the below photograph the ladies are tugging on a huge linked chain that is pulling along the chariot.
Whenever the chariot gets stuck the men insert large wooden clogs under the wheels.
Which they jump upon to move along the chariot. Once the chariot is moving again, the clog lever is removed until the next jam-up.
