Latest news with #Kallazhagar
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Lord Kallazhagar reaches His abode
Lord Kallazhagar, the presiding deity of Sundararaja Perumal Temple in Azhagarkoil, reached His abode on Friday morning, on the penultimate day of the Chithirai festival of the temple. On Thursday morning, Lord Kallazhagar on His 'Poo Pallakku' began His return journey to Azhagarkoil. Thousands of devotees had gathered at Tallakulam to catch a glimpse of the deity. The deity, mounted on a palanquin bedecked with flowers, proceeded on the return journey visiting mandagapadis enroute. Lord Kallazhagar halted at Appan Tirupathi on Thursday night. Thousands of devotees from far and near descended at Appan Tirupathi to witness the deity. Special pujas, rituals and cultural programmes were held. The venue wore a festive look on the occasion. The deity then proceeded from Appan Tirupathi at around 3 a.m.. The deity reached His abode in Azhagarkoil at around 10.20 a.m. amid chanting by the devotees. The devotees welcomed Lord Kallazhagar to His abode by sprinkling flowers on the deity as He entered the temple premises. Devotees distributed prasadam to the people. Pumpkins were smashed at the entrance near Pathinettam Padi Karuppanasamy Temple in an attempt to ward off the evil eye. The Chithirai festival will conclude on Saturday with 'Utsava Santhi' performed to the deity.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- The Hindu
Law and order: Good planning and meticulous execution by police helps Chithirai festival pass off incident-free
A meticulous and elaborate planning with some innovative ideas coupled with perfect execution by Madurai City Police saw the crowd-pulling Chithirai festival pass off incident-free in the last one week. Having learnt from bitter lessons in the past, the police left no stones unturned right from regulating the crowd to providing them safe and secure space and keeping trouble mongers away. 'We tried to fill up all the small gaps in security arrangements to avoid untoward incidents as hundreds of thousands of people from children to aged persons turned up for the mega events like car festival (of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple) and Ethir sevai and the ritual of entry of Lord Kallazhagar into Vaigai river,' said Commissioner of Police, J. Loganathan. After having made the decisions at the drawing board, the police officials had a thorough follow up with officials of all departments concerned to i implement the time-consuming work. The Corporation officials removed encroachments from roadsides and took up patch works on the road. Engineers of Highways Department cleaned up the dug-up Alagarkoil Road from Tamukkam to Goripalayam and also covered the under-construction sites and scaffolding to make them out of bounds for the enthusiastic crowd of devotees. The police also drew elaborate arrangement for jam-packed crowd that would stay put on Alagarkoil Road along Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple where Lord Kallazhagar stays for Tirumanjanam ritual. Filtering trouble-mongers To keep the trouble mongers away, the police had different layers of picketing at multiple points on all roads leading towards Tamukkam and Goripalayam junction. 'Men in civvies were deployed at 51 tracks to filter drunk persons, crime offenders and trouble mongers. These teams were able to pick up some 60 persons and also seize some weapons much before these people could mingle in the crowd,' Mr. Longanathan said. These people could have created some nuisance like harassing women if they had got into the crowd. Similarly, some 100 CCTV cameras were erected on this stretch. 'These cameras with artificial intelligence facility were put up to detect a long list of history-sheeters and property offenders from across the State. Six drones were set off in the air by the police to have an aerial view of the choc-o-bloc crowd. 'We were able to alert the nearest police teams around to manage the crowd throughout the night at Tamukkam and also on the Vaigai riverbed,' he added. Watch on Vaigai water The police also kept a watch on the depth of water flowing in the Vaigai riverbed so that it did not pose danger to the devotees wading through it to have a glimpse of Lord Kallazhagar. Despite that, teams of firemen and swimmers from police were deployed at vantage points to rescue people in distress as a precautionary measure. The Commissioner said that the identity tags distributed among hundreds of children paid off. 'Though only one incident of the police having to restore a missing child with its parents happened in the entire Chithirai festival, the very tying of tags by police made the parents more conscious in taking care of the children in the crowd,' he added. The QR codes displayed in over 100 places came handy for three persons to contact the police during emergency. The Commissioner said that a gangway put for the second year helped the massive crowd of devotees from Goripalayam junction to trickle into riverbed via Moongilkadai Street smoothly without interrupting the pathway of the deity. 'This helped melting of crowd without any resistance at the junction,' he added.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Time of India
Kallazhagar begins return journey to Alagar hills
Madurai : Lord Kallazhagar began his return journey to the Alagar hills on Thursday morning, marking the final leg of the Chithirai festivities . The revered deity, who descended into the city in royal grandeur, was taken on the traditional 'Poo Pallakku' (floral palanquin) procession, a significant cultural and spiritual event that drew thousands of devotees through the night and into early morning. Mounted on Anantha Rayer Pallakku, the deity was decorated with vibrant floral arrangements and regal ornaments, creating a stunning visual spectacle. The palanquin, adorned entirely with fresh flowers of varied hues, moved gracefully through the streets, with devotees chanting hymns and offering prayers. For many, witnessing this part of the festival is considered auspicious, said the devotees. The procession which commenced at 7am from Ramanathapuram Mannar Sethupathi Mandapam at Tamukkam passed through important locations including Mariamman temple (out post), Ambalakarar Mandapam, and Moondru Maavadi. The deity crossed Madurai city limits on the way to Sundararajan Patti and is scheduled to reach Alagarkovil by Friday morning. While the spiritual significance of the procession was not lost on the crowds, the event also caused heavy traffic disruptions, particularly on Natham Road and adjacent localities such as Narimedu and Bibi Kulam. Several arterial and interior roads were blocked, resulting in long delays for morning commuters. "We couldn't step out for work or drop our children at school on time. The procession is a cherished tradition, but there needs to be better traffic management," said R. Balamurugan, a resident of Bibi Kulam. Another commuter, Priya Suresh of Narimedu, said clear communication and alternate routes should be planned in advance. City police deployed personnel at key junctions and used barricades to manage the crowd and traffic. Officials later urged the public to cooperate, citing the festival's cultural importance and large turnout.
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
14-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Devotees witness Mohini avatharam of Lord Kallazhagar
Thousands of devotees witnessed 'Dasavatharam' enacted at Rama Rayar Mandapam early on Wednesday. As per legend, Lord Kallazhagar who redeems sage Mandooga Maharishi from a curse, goes on to fulfil his wishes to appear in all the avatharams. On Tuesday, the deity redeemed Mandooga Maharishi from the curse at Thenur Mandapam on Vaigai river and proceeded towards Ramarayar Mandapam. The Lord reached the venue at around 12.30 a.m.. The priests meticulously dressed up the Lord in avatharams of Lord Vishnu, including Matsya, Koorma, Vamana, Rama and Krishna. Special pujas and rituals were performed to the deity amid chants by devotees. At around 8.30 a.m., Lord Kallazhagar in Mohini Avatharam, mounted on a palanquin, was taken in a procession around the mandapam. The deity gave darshan to the devotees who gathered in large numbers from far and near and had stayed throughout the night to witness the event. Later, Lord Kallazhagar ascended the 'Anantharayar Pallakku', a palanquin believed to be given by Anantharayar, a Minister in King Thirumalai Nayak's court. Lord Kallazhagar visited several mandagapadis along the route where devotees had gathered in large numbers to catch a glimpse of the deity. The deity then proceeded towards Ramanathapuram Mannar Sethupathi Mandapam in Tallakulam. A large number of police personnel were deployed along the route in order to ensure the smooth conduct of the event. The deity decorated on 'Poo Pallakku,' will proceed to His abode via Appan Tirupathi.
