Amid tight security, all the three ‘kambam’ (sacred stem) planted before the three Mariamman temples here were removed and taken out in procession in the city and immersed at Karavaikal on Saturday evening.
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The stems, planted at Periya Mariamman, Chinna Mariamman and Vaikkal Mariamman temples, were removed at 3 p.m. simultaneously and were brought to Manikoondu. From there, the stems were taken out in procession that passed through Eswaran Kovil Street, Kamaraj Street, Meenatchi Sundaranar Road, GH Roundabout, Mettur Road, Swastik Roundabout, Sakthi Road, Ellai Mariamman Kovil, Nethaji Road, Manikoondu, Periyar Street, Marapalam, Mandapam Street, Cutchery Street, R.K.V. Road, Town Police Station and Agraharam Street before reaching Karavaikal in the evening. Later, they were immersed at Karavaikal.
Devotees in large numbers gathered on both sides of the roads and offered sea salt to the kambams. The annual festival passed off peacefully.
Earlier, traffic was diverted from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on all the roads where the procession took place and most of the shops were closed in the afternoon. Since the festival was not held in the last two years due to COVID-19 pandemic, devotees and the public thronged roads and witnessed the procession. The district police made elaborate security arrangements and also allotted three parking spaces in the city for the convenience of the devotees and the public.