COIMBATORE: The decision of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department to not conduct the temple car festival this year at the nearly 2,000-year-old Perur Patteeswarar Temple, citing instability in the wooden structure of the temple car, has sparked outrage among devotees and political parties.
According to HR&CE sources, after obtaining approval from the commissioner, a pooja was performed on November 27, 2025, to commence work on a new temple car with the help of donors, at an estimated cost of Rs 1.41 crore. However, with the 10-day Panguni Uthiram festival set to start with the flag-hoisting ceremony on March 23, officials decided to use the existing temple car for this year's celebrations.
Subsequently, the executive engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) was requested to inspect the stability of the car. Based on the instructions, renovation work was undertaken. After renovation, the executive engineer and temple staff again found that the supporting beams (aatharakattaikal) of the temple car were unstable.
"Considering the unstable condition of the temple car and concerns over devotees' safety, we have decided not to conduct the car festival on March 29. However, alternative arrangements have been made. All other rituals will be conducted as usual, and on the day of the car festival, a canopied car (sapparam) procession of the deity will be held. Steps will also be taken to complete the new temple car by next year," a HR&CE official said.
The decision has been strongly condemned by several organisations and political leaders, including K Annamalai and the Hindu Munnani, who urged authorities to allow the festival to proceed without hurting devotees' sentiments.
In a post on X, Annamalai stated that the Panguni Uthiram festival is a significant spiritual tradition and criticised the denial of permission, calling it unacceptable, especially as it affects a centuries-old practice. He urged the state government to grant approval to conduct the festival.
Hindu Munnani state president Kadeswara Subramaniam blamed HR&CE officials for negligence, stating that the stability of the temple car should have been assessed well in advance. He criticised the last-minute cancellation despite earlier assurances that the festival would be held on March 29.
A Lord Shiva devotee expressed disappointment, stating that the sudden decision has hurt the sentiments of thousands of devotees. He added that in his two decades of visiting the temple, this was the first time such an incident had occurred.