The Vaigai riverbed, its banks and the road from the Thevar Statue in Goripalayam to as far as Simmakkal were flooded with people who gathered in large numbers to witness the grand entry of Lord Kallazhagar in the early hours of Wednesday.
Accompanied by His entourage and paraphernalia, the Lord, mounted on his majestic golden stallion, entered the Vaigai at around 7 a.m.
In accordance with tradition, He was received by Lord Veeraraghava Perumal from the South Masi Street temple.
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The Veeraraghava Perumal Temple is a sub-temple of Koodal Azhagar Temple. A special ‘pandal' was erected on the riverbed to house both the deities.
In order to help devotees get a good darshan, the Lord was taken around the pandal.
After the ceremony, the procession proceeded towards Ramarayar Mandapam along the riverbed before moving to Vandiyur in the evening.
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Devotees, dressed in the Lord's costume, sprayed water at his mount as well as others to provide respite from the summer heat.
A large number of devotees had camped on the river bed overnight to get as close to the point of his entry as possible.
The frenzied crowd were further egged by some passionate and energising music that blared out from all corners of the riverbed.
Every inch available in the nearby buildings and Albert Victor Bridge was occupied by devotees and some even clambered on to trees, despite warnings, to get a better view.
The Tourism Department had brought in a group of 35 foreign tourists to witness the event from the AV Bridge.
A large number of VIPs were spotted on the bridge. K.R. Periakaruppan, Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, C. Kamaraj, District Collector and P. Balasubramanian, Commissioner of Police, were among those present.