The four-day annual festival of Arulmigu Gurunathaswamy Temple at Pudupalayam in Anthiyur got off to a flying start with a procession of the deities and inauguration of cattle and horse exhibition, here, on Wednesday.
The idols of Sri Kamatchi, Sri Perumal and Sri Gurunathaswamy were taken out in a procession to Vanakovil. While hundreds of devotees carried the deities on their shoulders, thousands of devotees waited for hours on the road to catch a glimpse of the procession.
The cattle festival with indigenous breeds of cows and horses attracted lots of people. Over 22,000 heads of cattle were brought for the exhibition-cum-sale.
Breeds such as Alambadi and Bargur were also on display. Dwarf cows from Andhra Pradesh and horses dancing to the tune of drum beats were the crowd-pullers.
Hundreds of temporary shops selling eatables, fruits, sugarcane juice, tender coconut and toys filled the road space. The road was closed for traffic in the morning and vehicles were allowed only in the afternoon.
The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), Erode Region, operated special buses from various parts of the district to the temporary bus stand at Pudupalayam.