Hundreds of devotees in colourful dresses accompanied the procession of Lord Kallazhagar to Ramarayar Mandapam following the deity’s entry into the Vaigai here on Monday.
On the way to the mandapam, the procession stopped for a few ‘mandagapadis’ near the riverbank.
All through the procession, devotees dressed as Lord Karuppanasamy in specially made clothes sprayed water on the deity. “We have been spraying water on the deity for a decade now and consider it a honour. It is our way of protecting Lord Kallazhagar from the heat,” said K. Kumarasamy, a devotee from Kottampatti, who had come here with his brothers.
For many of the devotees like him, who had come from the surrounding villages for the festival, it was a day of celebration and revelry.
The devotees moved about in groups and were seen dancing and playing musical instruments in areas closer to the banks of the river through Sunday night and continued to do so after Lord Azhagar entered the Vaigai.
Rural and urban
come together
The deity, who was mounted on a golden horse, was adorned in green silk, which is believed to bring a good yield to farmers the following year and symbolises prosperity for the region. He was also adorned with a headgear (‘thalappa’), which is supposed to symbolise that he is one among the people.
The procession reached Ramarayar Mandapam at 11.35 a.m. and halted for a few hours. Lord Kallazhagar was later taken to the Veeraraghava Perumal Temple in Vandiyur and kept there for the night.
Staying true to Chithirai festival’s spirit of bringing together the rural and the urban masses, a large number of people from surrounding villages as well as residents of the city participated and revelled in the festivities.
Many devotees watched Lord Azhagar’s entry into the Vaigai on LED screens placed in the riverbed, at AV Bridge, Goripalayam Junction and Tallakulam Perumal Temple.
