Devotees fill four Masi streets to join Meenakshi temple car fest

MADURAI: The entire Madurai city was filled with religious fervour as the cars of Lord Sundareswarar with Piriyavidai and Goddess Meenakshi rolled through the four Masi Streets on Wednesday, the 11th day of the 12-day annual Chithirai festival.

Thousands of devotees, who waited from hours before dawn, waited and the pulled the cars during their procession around the temple. Devotees chanted different names of the deities and vedic scholars sung hymns and chanted mantras.

Both the cars were decorated with colourful festoons and different flower garlands and a gold-plated ‘kumbam’ atop the car. The biggest of the decked cars carried Lord Sundareswarar with Piriyavidai and Goddess Meenakshi, the principal deity of the temple, was placed on the smaller car.

The car festival procession began from East Masi Street after special pujas by temple priests.

While the car carrying Lord Sundareswarar commenced its procession from 6.30 am, the car with Goddess Meenakshi started rolling at 6.50 am.

Adequate police force was deployed for the car procession. The arrangements were personally monitored by Commissioner of Police, Madurai city KS Narenthiran Nayar.

Traffic diversions were made to facilitate the car procession. During the programme, several volunteers offered buttermilk to devotees and several groups also arranged for annadhanam throughout the procession route.