MADURAI: Thousands of devotees thronged the four Masi streets and pulled the car of Meenakshi and other deities in Madurai on Monday morning.
The grand car festival marks the 11th day of the annual Chithirai festival, which began with the flag hoisting on April 12, of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple.
Braving the scorching heat, devotees pulled the decorated cars carrying Lord Sundareswarar with Goddess Piriyavidai and also the car carrying Goddess Meenakshi. The procession began at 6.30 am from East Masi Street.
After the auspicious wedding of Goddess Meenakshi with Lord Sundareswarar on Sunday, the newly wed divine couple were taken out on a procession in decorated chariots along the four Masi streets.
Devotees, while pulling the chariots, chanted ‘Hara Hara Sundara Mahadeva’.
Terrace of houses, commercial establishments and all the space along the roads were fully occupied by devotees to have a darshan of processional deities.
Many volunteered to offer annadhanam and prasadam, besides serving of buttermilk. The cars returned to their bases around 1.05 pm bringing the procession to an end.
Rukmini Palanivel Rajan, chairperson of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple Board of Trustees, S Krishnan, Joint Commissioner of the Temple and Commissioner of Police, Madurai City, J Loganathan were among those who witnessed the car festival.