The annual car festival of Sri Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur, popularly known as the Big Temple, was held on Saturday, April 20, 2024, with religious fervour and gaiety.
The decorated idol of Sri Thyagarajaswamy was brought in a procession from the temple complex to the car deck on West Raja Veedhi at dawn, and placed on the temple car at 7 a.m. The wooden car was then pulled out of its deck at around 7.15 a.m. and rolled along the four Raja Veedhis, before it was brought back to the deck at noon by the devotees.
Chants of ‘Aaroora, thyagesa’ filled the air as the iron wheels of the temple car rolled and the Raja Veedhis reverberated with the ‘Siva vathyam’ of drums, conch shell and other traditional musical instruments. Sri Thyagarajaswamy was brought back to the temple in the evening.