'Rath' floats into the seashore in Ramnad

RAMANATHAPURAM: In a scene reminiscent epic stories, a group of fisherfolk walking on the beach in Thondi here on Monday spotted a brightly-coloured "rath" bobbing on the waves and then softly landing on the beach.
The brightly decorated chariot-like structure, about three feet in height, took the locals by surprise. It was covered in green, red and orange silk clothes, with golden embroidery.The rath had a small stage on which a mud pot was balanced, with golden thread wrapped around it, with a saree blouse inside.
The pot had the words "Nagamma ratham, Pungudutivu" painted on it. The female symbols scared the more superstitious lot of the village. Just as some women were starting to say that it was black magic and something of a bad omen, however, some of the onlookers discovered that besides the name and place, the chariot also carried a mobile number.
According to Pandi, a villager, somebody immediately brought their mobile phone and dialed the number. The person who answered it on the other end said they had sent the chariot from a temple in Pungudutivu on the west coast of Sri Lanka and asked the people to ensure that it was released back into sea.
"They said they had sent it on behalf of the temple there," Pandi said.
Despite travelling such a long distance, the chariot looked largely intact, the locals said.