Visitors throng tourist spots across TN on Kaanum Pongal

The Sripuram golden temple attracted a considerable number of visitors, who reached the temple using the two roundabout routes, as there is no direct access to the area due to an under-construction rail bridge at Ariyur.

Similarly, the Forest department-run mini zoological park at Amirthi witnessed a ‘phenomenal’ collection of over Rs 80,000 on Thursday, in sharp a contrast to the usual Rs 2,000.

In Vellore, the usual venues of the Vellore fort: the museum inside and the fort ground in front of the Corporation’s MP Sarathy Maligai were crowded with visitors. The government museum staff inside the fort were happy as their daily collections have been on the rise since 2012-13.

In Tiruvannamalai district, the Sathanur dam in Thandarampattu taluk attracted a horde of visitors. Despite being 35 kms away from the twon, this was the only venue for an outing in the district. Surprisingly, there was practically no crowd at the famed Arunachaleswarar temple or on the refurbished Girivalam path.

Foreigners revel in Kodai

Not just locals, even foreigners joined the Kaanum Pongal celebrations on Thursday at Vilpatti, in the hill town of Kodaikanal in Dindigul.

As many as 20 Israelites celebrated the festival after preparing sweet Pongal on the occasion. They were accorded a warm welcome and garlanded at Arulmighu Vetri Velappar Thirukovil, an ancient temple.

A troupe of artistes performed folk dances such as ‘Silambattam’ and ‘Thappattam’ before the foreigners at a programme organised by the TN Tourism Development Corporation, said Kodaikanal Assistant Tourism Officer, M Anandan.

Since Pongal holidays were declared by educational institutions for consecutive days since Saturday, most parts of Kodaikanal were filled with tourists from various places. Apart from the lake, hotspots such as Moir Point on Twelve Miles road and other spots like the Pine forest, Guna caves and Pillar rock witnessed scores of tourists, sources said.

Besides, several people spent visited parks and cinema halls in Madurai, beaches in Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari and dam sites in Manimuthar and Papanasam in Tirunelveli district, sources said. During their stay in Panchalankurichi, Thoothukudi, families relaxed themselves at the ‘Kaanum Pongal’ festival on Wednesday.

Moreover, scores of people turned out at the beaches in Kanniyakumari to celebrate Kaanum Pongal. The recreation spots that witnessed huge a crowd included ‘Triveni Sangamam’, sunset point, Vattakottai Fort, Baghavathi Amman temple, Gandhi mandapam and Kamarajar mandapam, sources said.