Ramanathapuram
Rameswaram island that would teem with over a lakh of devotees on the occasion of Adi amavasai wore a deserted look with the district police putting up multiple check posts to prevent crowding in view of the pandemic situation, on Sunday.
Devotees were not allowed into Sri Ramanathaswamy temple and also to the Agnitheerams on the seashore.
The police had put up picketing ahead of Pamban Bridge to stop devotees from various parts of the State entering the island. The announcement of the district administration to ban entry of devotees from August 1 had helped in people not planning their pilgrimage to the island.
“Last year, the police had to face the ire of the devotees as many the announcement of ban of entry to devotees came in the last minute,” a police officer said.
The devotees who had come from the length and breadth of the country complained that they had incurred huge expenditure on their travel only to have darshan and the holy dip on the festival day.
The devotees would also offer ‘tharpanam’ to their ancestors on this day.
Suspension of train services to the island also came handy for the police to contain the movement of people to Rameswaram.
However, special pujas were conducted inside the temple and the procession of the presiding deities was confined to the temple premises.
The police had prevented people from entering Sethukarai and Devipattinam as these places attract a large number of devotees from the neighbouring districts.
Sathuragiri hills
Meanwhile, the ban on entry for devotees into Sathuragiri hills rendered Thaniparai foothills deserted. Thousands of devotees would visit Sundaramahalingam Temple for the Adi amavasai festival.