Temple committee unfazed by threat over bull-drawn chariot
A Nattukottai Chettiar Temple trustee has dismissed the Penang Hindu Endowment Board’s (PHEB) threat to seize the temple if it uses bulls to pull its silver chariot in the upcoming Thaipusam celebrations this year.
"I do not believe they (PHEB) have the right to do that, we have a board of trustees, which governs the temple," Dr A Narayanan, the temple’s senior board trustee, told Malaysiakini...
A Nattukottai Chettiar Temple trustee has dismissed the Penang Hindu Endowment Board’s (PHEB) threat to seize the temple if it uses bulls to pull its silver chariot in the upcoming Thaipusam celebrations this year.
"I do not believe they (PHEB) have the right to do that. We have a board of trustees which governs the temple," Dr A Narayanan, the temple’s senior board trustee, told Malaysiakini.
He also rebutted claims of the temple engaging in animal abuse by using bulls to pull its chariot during the Thaipusam festival last year.
Allegations of animal abuse surfaced when a video clip showing about 20 priests on the chariot being pulled by a pair of struggling bulls went viral on social media.
Narayanan said the temple has organised 16 bulls for the 7km-long procession this year, so the animals would be frequently replaced to protect them from over-exhaustion.
He also sent Malaysiakini a video clip published in 2014 (below), which showed a pair of bulls pulling the chariot smoothly with only two priests on board.
"We have repeatedly denied ever abusing the bulls, and have said we treat them as our cow mothers," Narayanan explained.
"We were framed in last year's video when it showed a big group of priests on board the chariot and the bulls struggling to pull it.
"The truth is the priests went on board to service the hundreds of devotees that night, when the chariot was stationary, and the bulls were struggling to avoid the broken coconuts on the streets. There was no abuse against the animals," he added.
He was responding to PHEB chairperson P Ramasamy, who had warned the temple against using bulls to pull their silver chariot during the Thaipusam celebrations this year.
Ramasamy, who is also Penang deputy chief minister II, said if the temple refused to use alternative methods such as a pushback tug instead of bulls to pull their chariot, PHEB may consider taking over the temple.
He added that the endowments board had the right to do so if the temple refused to adhere to its warnings or advice.
PHEB is in charge of organising Penang’s annual Thaipusam celebrations.
One million people are expected to attend this year's festival in Penang, which falls on Jan 21, Monday.
This is not the first time the temple and the endowments board have locked horns.
Last year, the two parties had clashed over PHEB’s introduction of its golden chariot, which was seen as a rival or challenge to the temple's 124-year-old chariot.
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