Madurai wears festive look as lakhs witness Lord Kallazhagar’s entry into Vaigai

The deity started his journey from Azhagarkovil, located around 20 kilometre from Madurai, on Saturday. He reached the Vaigai river around 5.20 am on Monday. As it was earlier decided that he would make his descent between 5.45 and 6.15 am, Kallazhagar sitting on his golden horse vehicle was made to wait for around 25 minutes. 

State ministers RB Udhayakumar, Sellur K Raju, Madurai city Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, Madurai Collector K Veera Raghava Rao and Madurai Corporation Commissioner Aneesh Shekar were present at the spot to welcome the deity. 

With the water flow in Vaigai minimal, thousands of devotees took a dip in it and offered their prayers. Many others were standing on the road and in Goripalayam signal, from where Kallazhagar was taken to Vaigai river. 

Due to the special occasion, the entire city wore a festive look. Lakhs of devotees were present in Madurai on Monday. More than 3,000 policemen were stationed for security purpose. 

In his return journey, which started around 7.25 am, Kallazhagar visited Ramarayar Mandapam and Veera Raghava Perumal Temple in Vandiyur near Madurai. For the first time, a live GPS tracking system of Kallazhagar was introduced this year. The feature was enabled in ‘Madurai Kavalan’ application. A police van, providing security and proceeding in front of the deity, was fitted with a location transmitting device. 

Lakhs of people visited the temple city for the festival. However, they complained that basic amenities provided were not sufficient. Devotees said there were no proper arrangements made for their accommodation during the night. 

As Kallazhagar entered into the Vaigai early morning on Monday, many devotees had reached the previous day. Considering the lack of accommodation facilities, several were forced to stay by the roadside and outside closed hotels. 

The devotees also complained the drinking water supply was not sufficient. Due to the scorching sun, they were made to run to all corners in search of water. District Collector Veera Raghava Rao said 50 water points were set up for the festival and 1.5 lakh litres of water was available for devotees. More than 2,000 Corporation staff were also present to aid devotees, he said.