CHENNAI: As the first auspicious day of the Tamil month of Aavani drew large numbers of couples to the famous Kandhaswamy Temple in Tiruporur, as many as 102 weddings were held on Sunday, leaving newly-weds and devotees struggling to move through the crowded premises.
Of the 102 weddings, 72 had been booked in advance at the temple, while another 30 couples arrived without prior registration and exchanged garlands at the sanctum.
The weddings were conducted at several locations on the temple premises, including the 16-pillared hall, the praharam, utsavar mandapam and vatta mandapam. Couples who had completed their weddings elsewhere also visited the temple for darshan.
The large number of relatives and friends accompanying the couples added to the crowd, making movement difficult both inside and outside the temple. Devotees who had come for worship were also caught in the rush.
The ancient Kandhaswamy Murugan Temple in Tiruporur, Chengalpattu district, has been witnessing a steady increase in the number of couples choosing to get married there. The rush extended beyond the temple premises, with weddings being held at more than 15 marriage halls around the Mada streets. The additional traffic led to severe congestion on the Mada streets and the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR).