Thousands witness temple consecration at Tiruparankundram after 14 years
The kumbhabishekam was performed around 5.30 am amid the chanting of hymns.
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MADURAI: Chants of ‘Muruganukku Arogara, Kandhanukku Arogara’ reverberated at Tiruparankundram, as thousands from across the state gathered at Subramania Swamy temple, the first of the six abodes of Lord Muruga, to witness the kumbabhishekam (consecration) during the early hours on Monday.
The kumbhabishekam was performed around 5.30 am amid the chanting of hymns.
Preceding the consecration, ‘muhurthakaal’ was installed on May 23 followed by yagasala pujas involving rituals and placing of vessels containing sacred water commenced on July 10. All rituals concluded on July 13. At the end of the eighth phase of yagasala puja, which commenced around 3.45 am, the holy water was carried by priests chanting mantras and vedas, accompanied by traditional music (thavil & nadhaswaram) in a procession. The ‘kumba kalasams’ atop the temple were sanctified with holy water, and subsequently ‘Deeparadhana’ was performed. The holy water was then taken to ‘vimanas’ and ‘gopurams’.
During the kumbhabhishekam rituals, devotees chanted ‘Arogara’, ‘Vetrivel Muruganukku Arogara’, ‘Veeravel Muruganukku Arogara' and ‘Kandhanukku Arogara’.
From the 150-foot-high Rajagopuram, holy water was sprinkled on the devotees. Giant screens were installed at several locations for the convenience of the people to watch the rituals live.
The kumbhabhishekam was being performed after 14 years at Tirupparankundram, as the previous one was held in June 2011.
Moreover, with the aid of large flying drones, holy water was sprinkled on the devotees gathered near the temple.
With the deployment of around 3,000 police personnel, Commissioner of Police, Madurai City, J Loganathan, oversaw security mobilisation to assure the safety of devotees.
State Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments PK Sekarbabu, Minister of Commercial Taxes and Registration P Moorthy, Commissioner of HR&CE PN Sridhar, Tiruparankundram MLA VV Rajan Chellappa, Deputy Commissioner of the Temple M Suryanarayanan, Temple Board of Trustees Chairperson P Satyapriya and Temple Trustee Shanmugasundaram were among those who participated in the ceremony.
