‘Ter’ - a temple chariot was showcased under the seventy one series of its online exhibition by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), on Thursday. The exhibit is situated in the open air exhibition of IGRMS has been presented online with its basic information and photographs and videos. About this exhibition, Director, IGRMS, Dr Praveen Kumar Mishra, said that this temple chariot has been collected in the year 1995 from the Krishna Math of village Pernankila in the Udupi district of Karnataka state, India. Made of locally available wood of Saag Balli, Jackfruit, Acacia etc. this chariot is used in the Car festival in the Ganesh and Shiva temple group of the village. During the festival, after installing the deities, the chariot is pulled by the villagers and the devotees who come from the surrounding area. Cart festival is an important festival in which the Lord himself comes among the devotees and participates in their happiness and sorrow.

 

In this festival, groups of people walk along with the chariot, singing hymns and dancing in honor of the deities. About the TER Rakesh Kumar Bhatt, Assistant Curator told that – It is believed that the devotee who pulls this chariot with reverence, gets the results equivalent to a hundred ‘Yajan’. Wood carving craftsmen in Udupi are inspired by the styles engraved on the rock-tops of temples built during the Hoysala dynasty. These artisans are called Gudigars. Skilled and experienced craftsmen follow the rules of Shilp Shastras for making chariots. The soft wood of Sag Balli is used for engraving intricate artwork and hard wood like jackfruit and acacia are used for making chariots.

 

At each stage of making the chariot, natural oil is applied to the wood to protect it from the effects of dust, moisture, termites, water and insects. Along with religious, social events of mythological importance, natural events occurring in life are also engraved on the outer parts of the chariot.