KUALA TERENGGANU: People of all walks of life were captivated when the streets of Terengganu’s capital lit up with a colourful chariot procession to celebrate the Hindu festival of Navarathri.
Chinese, Malays, Siamese, Eurasians, other ethnic Malaysians and foreign tourists joined the Indian community to watch the three-hour procession of the chariot that made its rounds from the Sri Kaliyuga Durga Lakshmi Sri Kalikanda Nayagan Temple in Jalan Cerung Lanjut around town and back to the Hindu temple.
Temple chairman Dr Dayal Krishnan, who is also the newly-elected Terengganu MIC chairman, said the celebrations were a huge success, thanks to the support from the various communities and the state government and agencies.
The chariot passed through Jalan Air Jernih to Wisma Buddhist in Jalan Syed Zain, made stops at the Tian Hou temple in Jalan Balik Bukit, the Ho Ann Kiong and Kuan Tee Than temples in Jalan Kampung Cina, then passed Jalan Banggol, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Batas Baru Bitara, Jalan Engku Sar and Jalan Sultan Omar before heading back to the Hindu temple.
“The uniqueness of this year’s celebration was the mass participation from the Chinese community who are Buddhists, Christians and Taoists who joined their Hindu friends to smash coconuts along the chariot route on the final day,” he said.
During the procession, the chariot was flanked by statues of the Durga Lakshmi-laden lion and a demon, depicting the victorious battle of good over evil.
“The devotees were also given blessings by Hindu priests who chanted prayers along the route,” said Dr Dayal.
The nine-day celebrations saw devotees offering chants, prayers, milk and rations at the Hindu temple, the only one of its kind in Kuala Terengganu.
The celebrations also involved traditional music and dances that were followed by vegetarian meals at the Hindu temple.
Navarathri is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Durga in nine forms, signifying the victory of good over evil.
The word ‘navarathri’ means 'nine nights' in Sanskrit with ‘nava’ meaning nine and ‘rathri’ meaning nights.
Navaratri is an important major festival and is celebrated all over India, Nepal and countries with a large Indian population.
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