Sani Peyarchi was observed in a subdued manner with relatively low footfalls at Sri Saneeswara Bhagawan temple here on Sunday, in view of the COVID-19 curbs.
Thousands of devotees, who had purchased e-tickets, had darshan of the deity. The festival usually witnesses lakhs of devotees descending on the temple. The event was last conducted on December 19, 2017.
On Sunday, maha deeparadhanai and special prayers were conducted at 5.22 a.m., accompanied by the chiming of bells, to mark the transit of Lord Saturn from dhanusu (sagittarius) to makaram (capricorn). Special abhishekams were performed on Lord Saneeswara with turmeric, sandal paste, fruits, honey, curd and other materials.
Relaxed restrictions
Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy, Ministers R. Kamalakannan and Kandasamy, and Madras High Court Judge Velmurugan were among the dignitaries who offered prayers at the shrine. The Puducherry government had relaxed the requirement of COVID-19 negative certificates after intervention by the Madras High Court.
