Thai Amavasai: Ancestors remembered

Scores of devotees from various parts of the country gathered at the Agni Theertham in front of the Sri Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram and offered prayers on Monday, on the occasion of ‘Thai Amavasai’.

After taking a holy dip in the sea, they performed rituals to pay homage to their ancestors. The devotees, who thronged Rameswaram since Sunday night, performed ‘tharpanam’ in the presence of temple priests in the morning hours.

Other temples at Devipattinam and Thirupullani in Ramanathapuram district, besides those in Thoothukudi, Tiruchendur and Kanniyakumari also witnessed a good number of devotees performing the prayers.

Ramanathapuram Collector K Veera Raghava Rao said necessary arrangements were made at three locations including Rameswaram, Devipattinam and Thirupullani. Local body personnel ensured hygiene in these areas, he said.

Similar prayers were offered on the banks of River Cauvery at Amma Mandapam in Tiruchy. Various poojas were performed at the Samayapuram temple, where many devotees participated. Adequate police personnel were deployed there to prevent any untoward incidents.

Devotees also took a holy dip and offered ‘tharpanam’ to their ancestors at the Kodiyakarai beach in Nagapattinam.