Thousands of pilgrims from throughout the State descended on the temple town on Saturday as the Mahamaham 2016 rituals commenced and had a peaceful dip at the sanctified tank.
After the sacred flag was hoisted at the six important Shiva temples associated with the rituals, thousands of devotees got into the 6.2 acre trapezoidal Mahamaham tank built several hundred years ago by Sri Govinda Dikshitar. The tank has 20 spring wells inside the water precincts dedicated to various deities while 16 mandapams are located on the bunds of the tank.With the pilgrim flow relatively in order, the devotees were able to reach every well and pour holy water on them with ease. Adequate police presence ensured that the devotees had a relatively easy time out there.
After that, the pilgrims moved to the Potramarai Tank near Sri Sarangapani temple and took holy dip there too before making their way to the Chakra Padithurai on the Cauvery for another bath to complete the ritualistic cycle.
It was a sight to behold as even the old and the infirm were able to move into the Mahamaham tank with the help of their near ones and take holy bath despite the crowded situation.
There were some hiccups too during the day as in the case of the four Mutt heads who were not properly escorted through the surging crowds to be present at Sri Aadi Kumbeswarar temple for the flag hoisting.
They could reach the flag mast only after the event while the politicians and officials effortlessly reached the spot in time.
