The temple city rang in the New Year amidst much cheer and celebrations. Gearing up for the New Year, many buildings, office complexes and malls were brightly illuminated with lights and were adorned with colourful decorations during the last few days of the year.
People from the city chose to celebrate the New Year in different ways.
Crowds thronged the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple on Tuesday evening and many more visited the temple through Wednesday from as early as 3.30 a.m.
Long queuesLong queues of devotees were seen both outside and inside the temple.
“We’ve visited the temple for an auspicious start to the year,” said K. Rajan, a resident of P&T Nagar, who had come to the temple with his family.
Other temples such as the Tirupparankundram Temple and Koodal Azhagar Perumal Temple too saw a rush of people.
Special programmesHotels and restaurants arranged special programmes and buffet dinners to cater to youngsters and families alike on the New Year’s Eve.
“We had as many as 350 people who had come to attend the New Year’s eve celebrations which included a host of games and prizes. There was a lavish buffet dinner with more than 50 different dishes,” said an executive at Sangam Hotels on Alagarkoil Road.
Policemen postedA large number of policemen were deployed at various spots in and around the city and at major junctions which included Simmakal, Periyar and Goripalayam, hours before the clock struck 12.
Residents around K.K Nagar and Anna Nagar said that there were police personnel stationed on main roads, who kept a check on the revellers who gathered at street corners.