Authorities in Andhra Pradesh have arranged for a new chariot for the Antarvedi Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in East Godavari district, months after an existing 60-year-old chariot was gutted in a fire. The wooden chariot of the Antarvedi temple was 40-feet high and made of teak wood and was parked in a shed on the temple premises when the incident took place on September 6. The chariot was used during processions on special occasions and temple festivals.
With the incident drawing protests from Hindu organisations and political parties such as the BJP, actor-politician Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) alleging a conspiracy, the state government handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The BJP spearheaded the agitation in the backdrop of the temple chariot being gutted, alleging that ever since the YSRCP government came into power, Hindu places of worship were under threat.
Following a departmental probe into the issue, two staffers including the temple’s Executive Officer (EO) were suspended for their alleged "inefficiency". Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government had announced that it would arrange a new chariot by December 31, with an amount of Rs 90 lakh.
Artisans were immediately roped into design and a new chariot was arranged before the due deadline. The seven-stair chariot was said to have been readied with an amount of Rs 1.10 crore. State Minister for BC Welfare, Chelloboina Venugopala Krishna, Razole MLA Varaprasad Rao and District Collector Muralidhar Reddy visited the temple and examined the newly constructed chariot.
The minister said that the new chariot's final artworks were completed and that it will be inducted into the temple for ‘Rathotsavam’ on February 23. The new chariot is 42 feet tall and will have a brake system for its six wheels.
Watch: Andhra govt replaces Antarvedi temple chariot that was gutted in fire