Temple Chariot Uthiramerur

In the splendidly governed state of Tamil Nadu, that too in the most egalitarian #Dravidian Model of Governance ( don’t try searching for the meaning, you wouldn’t find it), this is the picture of the temple chariot at Uthiramerur.

Some how, the temple doesn’t come under the dysfunctional Hindu Religious Endowment Board of the state government. Had it been under govt control, these wooden parts would’ve been smuggled out of the country and would probably be an antique piece at some home in the western world.

Now, where is the collective conscience of the people of the state?

The temple has inscriptions that date back to 800 CE and speak of democratically elected village bodies. These inscriptions are often showcased to emphasise the antiquity of democracy in Tamil Nadu.

And the temple chariot lies in ruins, battered by weather and the general apathy of temple trustees and devotees.