PENANG: Two software engineers here have developed a “Chariot Tracker” website that is specifically designed to monitor the movement of the Silver Chariot during its 6.6km procession from Penang Street to the Penang Waterfall Temple during Thaipusam on Thursday, and its return journey on Jan 26.
Manickam Murugappan and Lee Zi Hang, both 25, took about four months to develop and test the website, which can be accessed at https://chariot.byebyte.org/
“I have been very involved in the Silver Chariot procession for the past few years as a devotee and an assistant to a kavadi bearer,” said Manickam.
“It was during the procession that I noticed many elderly people enquiring about the exact location of the chariot and I couldn’t give them a precise reply. So, I thought it would be helpful to have a website that would give the exact location to those who needed the information throughout the procession.
“It was not an easy task to develop the website since the chariot would move at variable speeds and also be stationary at regular intervals throughout the journey. So, I asked my childhood friend Lee to join me in developing it.”
He said the two opted for a website rather than an app because they felt people would be more likely to click on a URL link rather than go to Google Play or Apple Store to download and use it.
Manickam said before the website was developed, it was impossible to identify the exact location of the Silver Chariot and people had to guess where it was likely to be at any time.
The chariot procession in Penang began in 1856 with only the silver chariot in use until 2017, when the golden chariot was introduced by the Penang Hindu Endowment Board.
Since 2017, both chariots have left the “Little India” area within an hour of each other, causing a major gridlock along the procession route, with each reaching its destination well past midnight.
“Those with elderly family members would have to park their cars and walk towards where they thought the Silver Chariot would be. But it usually turned out to be very frustrating as they discovered that the chariot had already moved on from where it was.
“Tourists, visitors and worshipers can now easily know the exact location of the chariot at any given time and plan their journey to meet it, as the website works in real-time,” he said, adding that the two developed the website as a community service.
Thaipusam is a three-day celebration during which devotees clad in yellow and saffron, carry milk pots on their heads or kavadi with body and face piercings to seek blessings, fulfil vows and offer thanks to Lord Murugan.
Boosted by Penang’s diversity and multiculturalism, the Hindu festival has taken on an identity of its own, with participants from many other races, especially Chinese, carrying kavadi and taking part in activities such as the breaking of coconuts along the route as the chariot passes by during the procession.
