As part of the Vinayaka Chathurthi celebrations, as many as 1,192 Vinayaka idols were immersed in Coimbatore district on Sunday.
It included 1,066 idols that were immersed in water bodies on the outskirts of the city. Organisations and people who installed the idols at several places in the city, took them in long processions before assembling in places, selected by the district administration and the police, for immersion.
The immersion of idols began around 11 a.m. and went on till the late hours of the day.
Close to 3,000 police and Home Guards were deployed to ensure the safety of devotees and to avoid clashes in sensitive pockets.
On the outskirts of the city, the idols were immersed near Badrakaliamman temple at Thekkampatty, Sirumugai and at Mettupalayam in River Bhavani, Vellakinar Tank, Sadivayal, Walayar, River Ambarampalayam, in Kinathukadavu, and River Aliyar. Due to unavailability of water, idols to be immersed in PAP Canal were diverted to Ambarampalayam.
Major pplaces where idols were taken for immersion were Thudiyalur (158), Karamadai (122), Pollachi (81), Valparai (66), Mettupalayam (61) and Anamalai (40).
Of the total of 340 idols installed in the city, three idols were immersed on Friday, five on Saturday and 126 idols on Sunday.
The major immersion points for the idols in the city on Sunday were Kurichi Tank (66 idols), followed by Kuniyamuthur (21 idols) and Singanallur (15). Of the remaining 206 idols, 204 idols will be immersed on Tuesday. The two other idols will be immersed next Sunday.
In Salem , more than 1,200 Vinayaka idols were immersed in various parts of the district on Sunday and the processions went off peacefully.
The idols were taken for immersion in River Cauvery in Mettur, Poolampatti and in barrages in Mettur. More than 800 idols were immersed in Mettur.
The idols kept in the city were taken in a procession and immersed in a lake in Ammapet. Both the city and the rural police made elaborate security arrangements as traffic was diverted at a few places for the convenience of the processions.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel were present at the immersion points to help the devotees.
The remaining idols kept in rural areas will be immersed in the lake in Thammampatti on September 3 while the others will be immersed on September 4 in Sendarapatti. The district administration and the police have issued guidelines for placing the idols and their immersion. The immersion continued till late in the evening.
In The Nilgiris district, an elaborate security plan put in place by the police ensured that the processions passed off without any untoward incidents on Sunday.
Based on past experiences and incidents, a detailed plan had been drawn up. With various Hindu organisations having installed as many as 487 Vinayaka idols in different parts of the district, a matching number of police personnel had been deployed to provide security to them.
While two idol immersion processions were organised here, one each were organised in Gudalur, Kotagiri, Coonoor and Pandhalur.
Despite the number of idols taken out in the processions being high and a large number of people accompanying them, the processions passed off peacefully, thanks to the marked presence of police and riot control equipment, particularly near communally sensitive spots.
Superintendent of Police T.Senthil Kumar said that about 1,500 police personnel and Home Guards were deployed to provide security to the processions in various parts of the district.
Among them were police officers and personnel from Salem and Namakkal districts.
In Krishnagiri , it was a mix of gaiety and pompous show of strength on Sunday, when various organisers came out in full number to immerse the Vinayaka idols, amidst the security put up with local police strength.
Close to 1,158 idols, were immersed in KRP reservoir in Krishnagiri and River Thenpannai.
The immersions took place peacefully under the watch of the local police. However, outside deployment, primarily from Namakkal, Salem (rural) and Dharmapuri will be in place on September 4, for the major immersions in Hosur, at Avalapalli.
Similarly, barring a handful of immersions by the VHP, major immersions by the Hindu Fronts will take place on Tuesday.
In Dharmapuri , the idols found their way to the various water bodies. Immersion took place in the seven major water bodies earmarked for the purpose. Hogennakkal witnessed maximum immersions with over 752 idols followed by over 300 idols in Irumathur river and 184 in Thoppayar dam. Similarly, idols were immersed in Naagavali, Naagamarai, Chinnaru and Kesarakuli reservoirs.
Local police, bolstered by the Home Guards and armed police adding up to an approximate strength of 800 personnel, watched over the processions that went off peacefully.
(With inputs from M.K. Ananth in Coimbatore, S.P. Saravanan in Salem, D. Radhakrishnan in Udhagamandalam and P.V. Srividya in Krishnagiri)
