After the authorities on Thursday told the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court about arrangements being made for Chithirai festival which was under way in Madurai, judges of a Division Bench said they will carry out an inspection, particularly on the route and the spot where Lord Kallazhagar will enter the Vaigai river.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Suresh Kumar and G. Arul Murugan observed that the court wanted to carry out an inspection at 3 p.m. on April 21 ahead of Lord Kallazhagar’s entry into Vaigai river on April 23. The court directed all the stakeholders and officials to be present during the inspection.
The authorities told the court that arrangements were being made for the celestial wedding and car festival. However, the arrangements were yet to be completed for Kallazhagar’s entry into the Vaigai. There was a delay as the officials were engaged in duties related to Lok Sabha election on April 19. The court was told that the remaining works would be taken up immediately and completed after the election.
Meanwhile, the judges stayed the operation of an order passed by the Collector in April wherein certain restrictions were imposed with regard to spraying of water on Kallazhagar that included registration for the same with the temple authorities.
The court observed that the festival was conducted in the Tamil month of Chithirai, which is during summer. Thousands of devotees joined Lord Kallazhagar during the deity’s journey to Madurai from Azhagarkoil under a hot sun.
The spraying of water is undertaken to cool the deity and the devotees from the sweltering heat. It was a practice followed in many temple festivals. Devotees who dress up as Kallazhagar spray water from bags made of goatskin. The belief of devotees was that Lord Kallazhagar Himself was spraying water on the devotees. This belief of the devotees cannot be shattered by restricting them to have a registration for the purpose of spraying water, the court observed.
The court which was hearing public interest litigation petitions pertaining to the Chithirai festival posted the petitions for hearing on April 22.
