Car festival at Tirupparankundram

Thousands of people from 48 villages thronged Tirupparankundram to pull the car of Subramaniaswamy Temple on Tuesday.

The festival, which is conducted on the 14th day of the 15-day brahmotsavam, saw many enthusiastic young men pulling the ther of Lord Murugan. One of the devotees, K.P. Velusamy (26), said: “ Pulling of the ther is a show of our devotion to the god. All the men use their might to pull the heavy temple car with ropes. It is exciting.”

Lord Murugan took the centre stage and blessed the devotees as the car made a trip around the hillock. The pulling of the temple car began at 6:25 a.m., which came to a halt at 11:50 a.m. Crowds thronged the temple despite the scorching heat.

Temple authorities said 250 police personnel were deployed for smooth movement of people and the chariot. A fire tender and two medical teams also followed the temple car to be of service in case of an emergency.

“The Madurai Corporation and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation helped us by clearing roads and electrical lines. After the ther came to a halt, two types of prasadam were distributed to devotees,” he said.

People from several parts of Madurai waited to catch a glimpse of the ther against the background of the hillock — a picturesque sight. Devotees distributed packets of food, buttermilk, water and juice to passersby. The lack of dustbins around the stretch saw many devotees dumping plates and containers on the road. The festivities continued well into the evening with special pujas being performed for the gods.