As March gives way to April, traders at Pudu Mandapam say that they are ready to face a bevy of customers looking for costumes ahead of the Chithirai festival. Devotees who customarily dress in ‘costumes’ of different gods and goddesses purchase their wares from shops lining this hall.

The mandapam which was shut in 2018 following a fire in the eastern-wing of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, caused major loss to the shopkeepers here. They say that carrying out their trade again has been a rejuvenating experience even though their days here may be numbered. The City Corporation has proposed that the traders move to the nearby Kunnathur Chatram to ensure that the Pudu Mandapam is saved.

G. Muthupandi, president of the Pudu Mandapam Traders and Tailors Association, refers to the hall as a ‘festival factory’. “For generations, the mandapam has been the epicentre of trade-related activities in Madurai. Every tailor here works a month in advance to ensure that the costumes are available before the day of the festival’s flag hoisting ceremony,” he says pointing to a variety of colourful costumes.

There are sequinned caps in red, pants with patchwork and belts with jingling bells, says I. Sheik Dawood, a tailor whose family has been selling these items for three generations now. The costumes are usually made out of velvet and satin material and are splashed with sequins, pom-poms and rexine patches. Tailors often paste picture of Lord Karuppasamy on the hats to show fervent devotion.

The 154 tailoring shops sell costumes ranging between ₹400 to ₹500 for children and ₹700 to ₹1,000 for adults. The costumes are customised to the customer’s measurements as well. Mr. Muthupandi says that the pants are made in such a way that they provide ease for the devotees to dance. “The devotees prance around the streets when Lord Kallazhagar leaves his abode Sundararaja Perumal Temple and makes his way to the city. The clothes are made in such a way to avoid wear and tear,” he says.

Apart from the costumes, Mr. Dawood says that they also sell fake aaruvals (billhook), padhai kattis (shoes with nails) and kondai perambus (knotted sticks) as part of the costume. Sattai (whips), used during worship, are also sold here.

“We do not make too much of a margin selling these clothes but we get a ton of satisfaction. No one cares about religion or caste when they purchase at Pudu Mandapam. After all, I, a Muslim, fold my hands and pray to Goddess Meenakshi when I hand over the costume to each customer as part of the tradition,” says Mr. Dawood.