The annual Chithirai festival began with religious fervour and fanfare at Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple here on Monday.
The celebration started with flag hoisting at the temple. The priests performed special pujas and deeparadhana for the deities. The temple was bedecked with colourful lights. Musical instruments accompanied the gait of the deities and floor paintings in various hues and colours enhanced the whole atmosphere.
A senior priest said a ‘Vaasthu Shanti’ puja was conducted on Sunday as a prelude to flag hoisting event, one of the main events of the 12-day Brahmotsavam festival.
Temple fit person Karumuttu T. Kannan and Joint Commissioner N. Natarajan were present during the ceremony.
Security was beefed up as police officers checked the bag storage area and mobile phone lockers for potential risks. Mobile phones were not allowed inside the temple complex following the ruling by Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in the wake of a fire at the eastern wing of the temple.
The procession of deities on the Chithirai streets took place in the evening. The temple administration also began booking of tickets for the celestial wedding both online and at Birla Vishram, the temple rest house. The bookings will continue till April 12.