THEKKADI
Thousands of devotees from various parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala took part in ‘Chitra Pournami’ festival, which was celebrated with religious fervour at Sri Mangaladevi Kannagi Temple near Kerala-Tamil Nadu border on the Western Ghats on Monday.
Special pujas and aradhanas marked the commencement of the dawn-to-dusk festival at the temple. A special homam was performed, followed by offering of flowers to the deity by the devotees. Hundreds of people took out a milk pot procession.
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Earlier, holy water drawn from a temple well was taken in a procession for abishekam. ‘Mangala naan’ offering ceremony was also performed in a grand manner. Married women stood in a long queue to receive the thread and glass bangles. Devotees thronged the temple since 6 a.m.
Revenue officials of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, along with Kerala forest officials, had made elaborate arrangements for the festival. Theni Collector M. Pallavi Baldev and Idukki Collector G.R. Gokul monitored the arrangements.
Adequate police force had been deployed at the temple and on the forest road. Kerala officials frisked devotees and collected plastic items from them before allowing them to enter the forest zone. Kerala revenue officials counted heads at several points. With no rain, the heat and heavy dust blinded the vision of drivers of the vehicle carrying devotees.
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More than 500 private vehicles were used to transport devotees to the temple from Kumuli. Several devotees from Theni district trekked from Paliyankudisai near Lower Camp to reach the temple. Officials offered water cans to them. The road leading to the temple from Paliyankudisai was renovated at a cost of ₹1 lakh recently.
The Department of Tourism arranged cultural programmes at Paliyankudisai. Ms. Baldev released a hand book, containing the history of the temple, route map and contact numbers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu officials, at a function held at Paliyankudisai. Rural artistes performed folk dance and played music. Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple Trust arranged food and water for the devotees. The celebration of the festival on the Western Ghats has been recorded since 1959.