Amidst much fanfare and cheer, lakhs of devotees congregated on the banks of the Vaigai river to witness the holy ritual of Lord Kallazhagar entering the river, at Alwarpuram in Madurai, early on Friday, May 5. This is the pinnacle event of the ongoing annual Chithirai festival.
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The temple city wore a festive look as devotees from across the district and nearby places flocked to Madurai all through Thursday night to witness the grand spectacle. The persistent cloudy weather and drizzle did not deter the devotees, who began assembling on the banks of the river as early as 3 a.m. to catch a glimpse of Lord Kallazhagar.
Many climbed on to tall commercial buildings and houses on the riverbanks, and began occupying the Albert Victor bridge with umbrellas in hand. A few hundreds entered the river as well.
Lord Veera Ragava Perumal, mounted on a silver horse, arrived at the venue at 4.10 a.m. as is the custom.
Devotees thronged the banks of the Vaigai river and entered in as well, to witness Lord Kallazhagar entering the river, on May 5, 2023 | Photo Credit: MOORTHY G
The idol of Lord Kallazhagar, of Sri Sundararaja Perumal temple at Azhagarkoil, arrived near the venue of the event at 5.35 a.m. from Sri Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple in Tallakulam, and was given an electrifying welcome.
The Lord, mounted on a golden stallion and clad in resplendent green silk, entered the river at 5.52 a.m. as devotees sprinkled flowers and chants of ‘Govinda Govinda’ rented the air. The green robe signifies prosperity and a good agricultural yield for the upcoming year.
The Lord was taken in a procession twice around the makeshift mandagapadi erected by the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments. The crowd did not melt until around 7.25 a.m. as the procession left for Ramarayar Mandapam for the theerthavari ceremony.
Minister for Commercial Taxes P. Moorthy, Collector S. Aneesh Sekhar, MLAs G. Thalapathi, A. Venkatesan and M. Boominathan, Madurai Corporation Commissioner Simranjeet Singh Kahlon, Inspector General of Police (South Zone), Asra Garg, Commissioner of Police K. S. Narenthiran Nayar and others were present on the occasion
The legend
The celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar, and Lord Kallazhagar’s entry into river Vaigai, which were Saivite and Vaishnavite festivals respectively, were merged into one, to boost harmony among the masses during the reign of King Thirumalai Naicker.
As legend goes, Lord Kallazhagar travels from Azhagarkoil to witness the wedding of His sister Goddess Meenakshi to Lord Sundareswarar. Upon reaching Madurai, he learns from Lord Veera Ragava Perumal that the wedding has already been solemnised, and the dejected Lord chooses not to cross the Vaigai.
