Devotees thronged the Annai Vailankanni shrine in Besant Nagar to witness the first day of the 11-day annual festival which began on Thursday.
The festival commenced with hoisting of the flag in the shrine campus by George Antonysamy, Archibishop of the Madras-Mylapore Diocese, and it was preceded by a procession of the 12-foot festival flag of Our Lady of Good Health.
On September 7, the Archbishop will preside over high mass with priests of the Archdiocese, followed by a grand car procession. September 8 would be observed as the birthday of the Mother at the Vailankanni shrine, and also the feast of the shrine.
The shrine, which was started by Fr. P.T. Arulappa in 1972, has become a major pilgrimage centre for thousands of devotees for various needs, especially good health.
Meanwhile, traffic in several areas of the city was affected, as thousands of people made their pilgrimage by foot to Besant Nagar to attend the annual flag-hoisting ceremony.
Motorists had a harrowing time on arterial roads such as the Kamarajar Road, Sardar Patel Road and several major roads in Adyar.
Traffic alterations
Though the Chennai City Traffic Police had announced certain traffic diversions for Adyar and the surrounding areas, other parts of the city were also affected.
As thousands of pedestrians were out on the streets, pavements proved insufficient and many resorted to using the carriageway.
