Thekkadi — Thousands of devotees from various parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala participated in Chitra Pournami festival, which was celebrated with religious fervour at Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border of the Western Ghats on Monday.
Special pujas and aradhanas marked the commencement of the festival. After homam, flower-offering ceremony to goddess Mangaladevi Kannagi was held.
Meanwhile, a group of devotees prepared pongal on the temple campus. A section of pilgrims brought a pair of anklets (silambu) decorated with flowers, took it around the main temple and performed special pujas to it.
Earlier, holy water taken from a temple well was taken in a procession for abishekam.
People thronged the temple since 6 a.m. Revenue officials of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, in association with Kerala forest and police officials, had made elaborate arrangements for the convenience of pilgrims, The Hindu reported.
Many devotees from Madurai, Karur, Theni and Dindigul districts said that they had been taking part in the festival every year. Theni Collector N. Venkatachalam was among those who participated in the festival.
Security was beefed up in the temple and on the forest road. A doorframe metal detector was used for the first time to scan pilgrims at the entry point at Thekkadi. Kerala forest officials checked all vehicles and enquired whether they carried plastic bags or bottles. Adequate drinking water, toilets and transport facilities had been made.
Kerala revenue officials counted heads of pilgrims visiting the temple at several points.
Rain that lashed the region since Sunday evening made the road slushy and muddy. Jeep operators had a tough time on the ghat road. Two-wheel-driven jeeps were seen stranded at many points, and traffic was disrupted on this stretch . Recovery vans were used to remove vehicles caught in the slush.
Hundreds of pilgrims got down from vehicles and trekked the hill. Pilgrims also came on foot to the hill through a trekking route from Paliyankudisai. Free food was offered to the devotees.
Kerala Transport department had issued vehicle passes to more than 850 vehicles and charged Rs. 50 per trip. On an average, one jeep made at least seven to eight trips. Slushy road scaled down the number of trips to six, said vehicle operators.
Members of Cumbum Mangaladevi Kannagi Trust transported puja materials and food for annadhanam in tractors to the temple from Cumbum in the early hours.