BHEL has made about 700 wheels for temple chariots in Tamil Nadu in over 45 years

For long now, energy utilities have been customers of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) for its boilers and turbines. And Tamil Nadu has been no exception. But here's an unlikely association — a very old one but unknown to many — between BHELBSE 1.77 % and the Tamil Nadu department that oversees nearly 40,000 temples: BHEL makes special steel wheels for temple chariots or cars in Tamil Nadu, an order book that's only becoming fatter every year. By the end of December, some 60 wheels will be delivered by BHEL to various temples in the state. Till date, in an association dating back nearly four-and-a-half decades, BHEL has made about 700 wheels for temple chariots in Tamil Nadu, over 300 of these in the last five years alone. "We are replacing wooden car wheels with steel wheels," says P Dhanapal, commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department, in charge of the management of Hindu temples in the state. ref: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/bhel-has-made-about-700-wheels-for-temple-chariots-in-tamil-nadu-in-over-45-years/articleshow/25079898.cms