Fervour marked ‘Vinayakar Chathurthi’ here on Friday as thousands thronged various temples and offered prayers.
Huge crowds gathered at Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in the morning to offer prayers to the ‘Mukkuruni Pillaiyar’ idol in the temple. The temple authorities offered special ‘Mukkuruni Kozhukattai’ which is made every year during the occasion. Special pujas were conducted to more than 300 idols of the deity had been placed at various ‘pandals’ installed around the city. The ‘pandal’ at Simakkal, which had one of the largest idols of Lord Vinayaka in the city saw a large number of people offering prayers through the day.
Prayers were also offered at small temples of the deity in various roads and residents, auto drivers and traders in the areas organised celebrations and distributed ‘prasadam’ to the public.
ProcessionAs Lord Vinayaka idols have been stationed on East Masi Street before being taken on a procession, the city police have banned the entry of heavy vehicles into the streets. The idols will be taken on a procession from East Masi Street through South Masi Street, West Masi Street, North Masi Street, Old Chokkanathar Temple Street and Thaikkal Street. The idols will be taken for immersion at waterbodies and various points approved by the district administration.
According to an official statement, the city police have said that traffic will be diverted along the areas where the procession will take place and have asked the public not to park any vehicles on these routes.
