Devotees pulling the decorated car of the Arulmigu Thayumanaswamy temple in Tiruchi as part of the ‘Chithirai’ festival.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Devotees in large numbers pulled the decorated cars of the Rockfort Arulmigu Thayumanaswamy temple at Tiruchi on Friday as part of the Chithirai festival.

The Chithirai Thiruther Peruvizha commenced at the temple with Vigneswara puja on April 30 evening and the hoisting of the holy flag (Dwajarohanam) on May 1. 

As part of the annual festival, Swami and Ambal were taken out in a holy procession on various ‘vahanams’. On the ninth day of the festival on Friday was the Thiruther Vadam Pidithal.  After completion of holy rituals in the early hours, the deities of Sri Thayumanaswamy and Ambal Mattuvaarkuzhalammai in special ‘alankarams’ were brought in a procession and placed in separate temple cars.

Devotees in large numbers had gathered in the early hours and pulled the decorated ‘Swami Ther’ and the ‘Ambal Ther’ at around 6.20 a.m. The two temple cars went through Chinnakadai Veedhi, NSB Road, Nandhi Koil Street and Vadakku Andar Veedhi and reached the same spot at noon from where it started. The temple authorities had made elaborate arrangements for the car festival. The Chithirai Thiruther Peruvizha concludes on May 14.