Antarvedi temple gets a new chariot 'in record time'

The decades-old chariot of the famous Narasimha temple was gutted under mysterious circumstances in the middle of the night on Sept 5

A new chariot for Lord Lakshmi Narasimha was inaugurated in Antarvedi on the occasion of Ratha-Saptami on Friday, in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy.

The decades-old chariot of the famous Narasimha temple was gutted under mysterious circumstances in the middle of the night on September 5, leading to statewide agitation by BJP, TDP and Hindu organisations. Protests and heavy police deployment has kept the popular town in East Godavari district tense for several days.

However, the culprits behind the desecration are still not identified. The case was initially probed by the state police, but later the Reddy government announced that it was handed over to the CBI. The chariot is the main attraction during the annual procession of the presiding deity, in February.

Facing all round criticism, more so at a time when such desecration incidents were frequently being reported from several temples across the state, the YSRCP government commissioned the work on a new chariot at an expense of about Rs one crore.

“Work on the new chariot was completed in a record time, ahead of the annual Kalyanotsavam. The new chariot has six wheels, is seven-tiered and made out of 1,330 cubic feet of wood. It is equipped with hydraulic brakes. The chariot would be now parked in a protective shed with iron gates,” officials said.

Reddy offered puja-aarti to the Lord and later pulled the colourful, forty-feet chariot along with the devotees to herald its commissioning.