Latest news with #EthirSevai
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Lord Kallazhagar leaves for His abode on ‘Poo Pallakku'
Thousands of devotees gathered in Tallakulam early on Thursday morning to witness Lord Kallazhagar on His 'Poo Pallakku' as He began his return journey to Azhagarkoil. Special pujas and rituals were performed to the Lord at Ramanathapuram Mannar Sethupathi Mandapam in Tallakulam. The deity, mounted on a palanquin bedecked with flowers, proceeded at around 3 a.m. The devotees who had waited throughout the night to witness the Lord leaving for His abode followed the deity. Lord Kallazhagar received a rousing welcome at Karuppanasamy Temple and Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple in Tallakulam and the mandagapadis enroute. Earlier, the deity had halted at around 480 mandagapadis in the city for 'Ethir Sevai.' It was a festive atmosphere as the streets were chock a block with devotees from far and near who had gathered to witness the event. Vendors were selling snacks and fancy items on the roadsides. The devotees distributed prasadam to the people. The procession reached Moondrumavadi at around 9 p.m.. After an overnight halt at Appan Tirupathi, Lord Kallazhagar will reach Azhagarkoil early on Friday. 'Utsava Santhi' will be performed to the deity on Saturday.
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Lord Kallazhagar enters Vaigai river amid a sea of devotees
The annual Chithirai festival in Madurai reached a crescendo with Lord Kallazhagar entering Vaigai river early on Monday morning. Lord Kallazhagar draped in green silk attire and mounted on a golden horse, was carried from Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple at Tallakulam to Alwarpuram, the venue of the event. The deity adorning green attire signifies prosperity to people and good yield to farmers. The deity was adorned with the garland brought from Srivilliputhur Andal temple before He left for Vaigai river. Lord Kallazhagar arrived at the venue at around 5.45 a.m. and as per custom, He was received by Lord Veera Raghava Perumal on a silver horse, who had arrived at the venue at around 4.30 a.m.. The deity entered Vaigai amid the chant of 'Govinda Govinda' from devotees while the Tamil song 'Vararu vararu Azhagar vararu,' played in the background. The Lord was taken in a procession around the makeshift mandagapadis erected at the venue near the Albert Victor Bridge, giving darshan to the devotees. Lord Kallazhagar, the presiding deity of Sundararaja Perumal Temple in Azhagarkoil, began His journey to Madurai city on Saturday evening. On Sunday, the Lord's visit was celebrated with pomp and gaiety as devotees gathered in large numbers for Ethir Sevai, a tradition of offering prayers to the Lord, who visits His devotees, instead of the devotees visiting the temple. On Monday, the streets of Madurai were chock a block with devotees who had come from far and near. The devotees were on the Vaigai river bed from Sunday night. Many were perched on vantage points and the Albert Victor Bridge to witness the entry of the Lord into the Vaigai. Youth playfully splashed water on each other and also tried forming human pyramids for fun. As Lord Kallazhagar made his entry into the river, women devotees were seen holding pots with jaggery and camphor to offer their prayers, a sign of auspiciousness. Children were seen sitting on the shoulders of their parents to catch a glimpse of the deity. According to legend, Lord Kallazhagar travels from Azhagarkoil to witness the celestial wedding of His sister Goddess Meenakshi with Lord Sundareswarar. Upon reaching Madurai, He learns from Lord Veera Ragava Perumal that the wedding has already been solemnised. A dejected Lord Kallazhagar chooses not to cross the Vaigai river. He is angered to learn that the wedding was over before His arrival. The Saivite Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple festival and the Vaishnavite Azhagar festival were two separate events. Around 500 years ago, King Thirumalai Nayak clubbed the two festivals to boost harmony and economy of Madurai. The deity left Vaigai at around 7.35 a.m. to Rama Rayar Mandapam for Theerthavari ritual. Devotees dressed as Lord Kallazhagar and Pathinettam Padi Karuppu, sprayed water from bags made of goatskin on the deity to beat the sweltering heat. Water is sprayed on Him to cool Him down. It is believed that dressing up like Lord Kallazhagar is a way to please Him to fulfil their vows. The deity will halt at Vandiyur Veera Raghava Perumal Temple late on Monday night.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Lord Kallazhagar enters Madurai amid grand Ethir Sevai ritual
Madurai : Amid chants of "Govinda," beating drums, and devotional fervour, Lord Kallazhagar entered Madurai on Sunday morning in a golden palanquin as part of the Ethir Sevai ceremony—one of the key events of the annual Chithirai festival .The deity, adorned in regal attire, was brought from Alagarkoil to Kondappanayakar Mandapam. Devotees lined the Alagarkovil Main Road, offering deeparadhana with heated jaggery and puffed rice in bronze vessels, which were later distributed among the crowd. A special puja was held near the Karuppasamy temple before the deity proceeded into the highlight of the celebrations—the symbolic entry of Lord Kallazhagar into the Vaigai River—is scheduled for Monday between 5.45 am and 6.05 am near the AV Bridge in Alwarpuram. En route from Alagar Kovil to the riverbank, the deity will be displayed at 494 mandapams across various locations, including Poigai Karai Patti, Kallanthiri, Appan Thiruppathi, Sundararajan Patti, and manage the influx of devotees, the Madurai Corporation has stepped up civic arrangements. Temporary water tanks have been installed at 52 locations, with sanitation boosted by over 430 workers, supported by additional vehicles. Waste generation during the festival is expected to rise by 40–50 metric health measures include mosquito and fly control, with 60 power sprayers, 30 hand fogging machines, and nine vehicle-mounted fogging units in action. The corporation has also set up 34 medical camps and deployed 16 fire department has stationed 200 personnel, including 50 in Alwarpuram, and kept four boats on standby to ensure safety at the riverbed. District collector M S Sangeetha inspected the preparations on Sunday 121080587 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Devotees throng streets to catch a glimpse of Lord Kallazhagar
Thousands of devotees thronged the streets to welcome Lord Kallazhagar, who entered Madurai city early on Sunday morning. The devotees gathered in large numbers for 'Ethir Sevai' to catch a glimpse of the deity who, mounted on a palanquin, left His abode in Azhagarkoil on Saturday evening, as part of the annual Chithirai festival. 'Ethir Sevai' is a tradition of offering prayers to the Lord, who visits His devotees, instead of the devotees visiting the temple. Lord Kallazhagar made halts at over 480 mandagapadis enroute to Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple at Tallakulam. From the temple, the deity would begin the journey to enter Vaigai river early on Monday morning. Lord Kallazhagar began His journey to Madurai at around 7 p.m. on Saturday from Azhagarkoil and after a halt at Appan Tirupathi He reached Moondrumavadi at around 6 a.m. on Sunday. The devotees gathered to welcome Him at mandagapadis as part of 'Ethir Sevai' at various points, including K. Pudur, Reserve Line, Bharathi Ula Road, and Outpost. Lord Kallazhagar's visit was celebrated with pomp and gaiety as the devotees gathered at each of the mandagapadis with flowers and garlands as offerings to the deity and followed the Lord as He went on His journey. Women devotees held pots of jaggery with camphor, a sign of auspiciousness. Children were seen sitting on the shoulders of their parents to catch a glimpse of the deity. The youth, who followed the deity were seen dancing to the beats of devotional songs and chanting. Devotees dressed in Lord Karuppasamy attire were also seen dancing to the beats of devotional songs. Devotees offered prasadams and water bottles to the people who had gathered at the venues. They were also seen offering generously through the mobile hundials. Vendors were seen selling toys, balloons and snacks on the roadsides. A large number of police personnel were deployed along the route to regulate the traffic and ensure the smooth conduct of the event. Lord Kallazhagar halted at Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple at Tallakulam at around 8.30 p.m.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- The Hindu
Focus on halting of Lord Kallazhagar at every mandagapadi before his entry into Vaigai
Madurai City Police, in association with the district administration, have almost completed the ground work for the grand entry of Lord Kallazhagar into Vaigai river on Monday morning. Right from getting the dug-up road levelled and scaffolding of underconstruction bridges covered and putting barricades on roads and at the riverbed with lighting facilities, the works are almost complete. As part of crime prevention, the police have installed CCTV cameras with AI facility and planned to give safety pins to women for fastening their gold ornaments. They have also prepared tags for children with their names and contact details of parents for easy identification in crowd. Flex boards of QR codes to reach out to the police during emergencies have been put up at vantage points. The focus of the police has now turned towards crowd management on Lord Kallazhagar reaching Prasanna Venkatachalapthy Temple at Tallakulam on Sunday night till the early morning of Monday when He enters the Vaigai. 'The stretch of Alagarkoil Road between Tallakulam temple and the river would easily witness at least 70,000 people. Though they would have had the darshan of Lord Kallazhagar during Ethir Sevai, most of the devotees show keen interest in having another glimpse of the deity mounted on the golden horse palanquin,' said a senior police officer. With the bitter experience of a stampede-like situation claiming four lives at Goripalayam during the 2022 Chithrai festival, the City Police are doubly alert to ensure smooth procession this year. 'The inordinate delay in taking Lord Kallazhagar out of Tallakulam temple led to skipping of most of the 50-odd mandagapadies between Tallakulam and the Vaigai river,' another police officer recalled. The sea of devotees was waiting to have a darshan of the deity leisurely as the procession would stop for at around five minutes at each mandagapadi. However, they were caught unawares with the unannounced skipping of halts at most of the mandagapadies. 'This resulted in the entire crowd from near Tamukkam ground to rush behind the deity towards Goripalayam junction leading to an avoidable commotion,' he added. The already tired policemen could not control the frenzied crowd. 'This time, we have planned to keep up with the timings so that there was adequate time for the procession to halt at every mandagapadi. We are working closely with HR&CE officials as it would take at least four hours for the procession to cross this stretch,' he added.
