: The new year was welcomed with fervour across Tamil Nadu and in neighbouring Puducherry with people thronging places of worship in the wee hours of today.
Special poojas were conducted in various temples including the famous Sri Parthasarathy Temple in Chennai, Arulmigu Subramaniaswamy Temple in Tiruttani and Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple in Madurai among others.
Similarly, mass prayers were held as the clock struck 12 at the famous Santhome Basilica Church and Annai Vailankanni Shrine (Our Lady of Good Health), Besant Nagar in Chennai and Annai Vailankannai Shrine in Nagapattinam district.
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister K Palaniswami, DMK Working President M K Stalin, MDMK chief Vaiko and PMK leader S Ramadoss also extended their wishes on the occasion.
In Puducherry, devotees offered prayers at the famous Manakula Vinayakar Temple while others visited the Aurobindo Ashram in the Union Territory.
Several cultural programmes were organised as part of welcoming the new year while police maintained strict vigil across the State.
Lt Governor Kiran Bedi thanked God for the peaceful festivities to welcome the New Year on beach road.
"All went well. Thank God. Drones did their job and so did the preparations and plans and also briefings," she tweeted.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)