GEORGE TOWN: Penang’s iconic silver chariot, which will be on its annual Thaipusam eve journey to the Waterfall temple, is hoping to depart earlier this year. In previous years, the chariot had arrived in Nagarathar Nattukottai Chettiar Temple in Jalan Kebun Bunga well past 2am the next day. The tradition started with a wooden chariot in 1859 for 35 years before the ­seven-metre-tall silver chariot was commissioned in 1894. This year, he said, devotees will also be able to track the chariot’s journey from the Kovil Veedu through an app called “Silver Chariot Penang”. The golden chariot, introduced in 2017, carries the Vel, the sacred spear of Lord Murugan.

Source: The Star January 27, 2026 01:15 UTC