The Endowments Department in Vizianagaram district has taken special care to ensure the protection of nine chariots of various historic temples in the district.
The move comes in the wake of the fire at the Antarvedi Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple of East Godavari district in which the chariot was gutted.
The nine chariots are parked in public places due to lack of sheds, and the department has installed CCTV cameras at all nine locations to keep an eye on the chariots.
Guards are also being appointed and construction of sheds will begin shortly to ensure safety of the chariots, according to Assistant Commissioner of Endowments Department G.V.S.S.R. Subramanyam. Among the chariots is the 110-year-old chariot of Jagannadh Swamy temple in Vizianagaram that has been parked on road in the absence of an exclusive shed.
The height of the chariot is 19.5 feet and its width is nearly 12.5 feet. Jagannath Seva Samithi member Kapuganti Prakash said that the Samithi was trying to identify suitable land for protection of both old and new chariots. Sri Mannar Rajagopala Swamy temple of Vizianagaram, Sri Ramaswamy Vari Devasthnam of Ramateertham, Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple of Balijipeta, Sri Venugopala Swamy temple, Sri Jagannath Swamy temples located at Parvatipuram, Chinamerangi, Sibili Peddavalasa, Dasannapeta of Vizianagaram also have large four-wheeled chariots.
BJP Mahila Morcha leader of Vizianagaram district, Uppalapati Nalini, asked the government to quickly construct sheds for the protection of the chariots in the backdrop of the Antarvedi incident.
“Apart from the idols of the Gods, we respect chariots too. During annual festivals, every devotee tries to touch the chariot. They have a special sanctity in Hindu culture and tradition,” she said. The Endowments Department prepared a detailed note and sent it to the government for the construction of sheds as four temples do not have sheds. Some of them are in a dilapidated condition. Their renovation has also been proposed.
“As soon as the approval comes from the government, we will begin work on the sheds. Meanwhile, temple authorities will monitor CCTV footage constantly to identify movements of suspicious persons in and around chariots,” Mr. Subramanyam said.
