Thousands of pilgrims from in and outside Rameswaram district gathered at the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple on Sunday to mark the occasion of Adi Ammavasai.
Several people took a “holy dip” in the sea and entered the shrine to witness special pujas to the deities – Parvathavarthini and Swami Sannidhis – from 4 a.m. Around 11 a.m., the deities were taken on a procession and special pujas and aarathis were performed.
Devotees had lined up from early in the day for the holy water from the Agni Theertham in the shrine. Besides offering pujas, pilgrims from other States such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Telangana, performed tharpanam – a ritual to remember the forefathers – on the occasion.
Around 500 police personnel were deployed at various locations, including Devipattinam and Sethukarai where devotees took a dip in the sea and witnessed the rituals.
Officials of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) said special buses had been arranged to Rameswaram from different destinations. The lodges in the district were full, and several restaurants witnessed heavy crowd.
Crowd in Tiruchendur
Many devotees arrived at Tiruchendur in Thoothukudi district on Saturday night, and took a dip in the sea on the wee hours of Sunday. They visited the Sri Subramanian Swamy Temple, and witnessed the special pujas to the deities, which began at 4 a.m.
People also gathered in large numbers along the Tamirabharani river, and other places. Tirunelveli Collector K.P. Karthikeyan visited the Sorimuthu Ayyanar Temple and inspected the arrangements to regulate the crowd.
Published - August 04, 2024 11:09 pm IST
