Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami took a holy dip in the Cauvery at Thula Kattam in Mayiladuthurai on Wednesday coinciding with the water released from the Mettur dam for ‘Maha Pushkaram’ festival.
Mr. Palaniswami arrived at 9.45 a.m. and spent about five minutes bathing in the river along with hundreds of pilgrims. He was earlier received with poornakumbam honours by the Chairman of the Cauvery Mahapushkaram Organising Committee Swami Ramananda.
After the holy dip, the Chief Minister released Cauvery Mahapushkaram souvenir in the presence of Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati. Earlier, Ministers K.A. Sengottaiyan, K.C. Karuppannan, S.P.Velumani and Kamaraj, and Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal took holy a holy dip at Thula Kattam.
The water level in the river kept rising during the course of the day even as the police and Fire personnel kept a vigil to prevent senior citizens and children from getting into the deeper part of the river. A group of police personnel clad in dhotis and shirts stood at vantage points along the banks to keep pilgrims away from the deeper part of the river.