Thousands of devotees witnessed the Jeernodharana Ashtabandhana Mahakumbabhishekam of the Arulmigu Marundeeswarar temple in Thiruvanmiyur on Wednesday. The Chola-period temple was renovated at a cost of ₹75 lakh, ahead of the ceremony, during which Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, AIADMK spokesperson Vaigai Selvan and other VIPs were present.
The proceedings began with the priests carrying pots containing water in procession, after the aaravadhu kaala puja . By 9.45 a.m., the water was poured on the kumbas atop the various vimanas , the rajagopuram and other gopurams, and by 10.15 a.m., on the idols of Marundeeswarar, the presiding deity, his consort Thirupurasundari Amman, and the other idols. This was followed by the Mahabhishekam .
In the evening, idols of Sri Chandrasekarar and Sri Thyagesar were taken out in a procession in the four mada streets.
From Thursday, a 48-day-long mandalaabhishekam will be held.
Historian Pradeep Chakravarthi explained that the temple dates back to the Chola period. “A lot of broken pieces from Buddhist viharas used to be found in the vicinity of the temple till a few years ago,” he said.
A total of ₹75 lakh has been spent on the Kumbabhishekam, with funds collected through donations. The 7-tier rajagopuram, and 5-tier rishigopuram on in the east and 5-tier gopuram on the west were renovated.
