DINDIGUL: Sri Soundararaja Perumal Temple at Thadikombu near here was illuminated with one lakh clay lamps as thousands of devotees celebrated ‘Pancharathra Deepam’ (Vishnu Karthigai) on Tuesday evening.
Special pujas were performed to the main deity, Sri Soundararaja Perumal, and to the aesthetically decorated ‘utsavamurthy’. When the temple bell rang to signal the completion of the pujas to the main deity and Goddess Lakshmi, devotees who had assembled at all the place commenced lighting all the one lakh lamps. Within half an hour, all the lamps were lit, radiating brightness on the temple campus.
Even the multi-coloured electric lights hung from the main gopuram and the compound wall were blurred by the bright golden yellow radiance from the oil lamps lit on the main temple, inner and outer prakaarams, all sannidhis around the sanctum sanctorum and Sri Chakrathavazhar Sannadhi.
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Even the temple ‘nandhavanam’ behind the main temple was glowing with oil lamps. Meticulous planning, perfect team work, effective cooperation and whole- hearted commitment of devotees and volunteers were behind this exercise.
Already, volunteers from schools and colleges and workers from a private mill congregated well in advance and drew straight lines and beautiful designs between lines on the temple campus. Clay lamps were aesthetically arranged on these lines.
Candles were given to devotees at the main entrance of the temple. Thousands of devotees from neighbouring villages joined hands with volunteers to light the lamps within the scheduled time. Other volunteers filled lamps with oil and wicks and distributed match boxes.
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Meanwhile, the utsavamurthy was brought outside through the main gopuram. Battachariyars lit the deepam on the lamp post at the entrance.
Later, Battachariyars burnt ‘Sokkapanai’, as part of the festival. Devotees were waiting in a long serpentine queue to have a darshan of the main deity.