CHENNAI: The Vinayaga Chaturthi celebrations at the popular Pillayarpatti Karpaga Vinayagar temple were witnessed by tens of thousands of devotees and the annual festival was a big draw in all other major temples of Tamil Nadu.
In Pillayarpatti temple, situated about 13 kms from Karaikudi, the special worship began by 4 am with the performance of a milk abishekam for the main Ganesha deity that was decorated with gold embroidered clothes.
Devotees started pouring in from early in the morning and the crowd swelled during the theerthavari at 11 am when there was a series of ritualsthat included sprinkling of sacred waters on angusathevar, a Ganesha’s weapon.
An highlight of the celebrations was the offering of a 27-kg kozhukattai made of sweet coconut mix to Ganesha. It took two-and-a-half days to make the mega offering.
By 11 pm, Pillayar was taken on a thiruveedi ula, a street procession with the accompaniment of traditional music and the panchamurhtis.
Rockfort temple
In the Rockfort Uchipillayar temple in Tiruchy, another important Ganesha temple, over a lakh of devotees participated in the various worship sessions from 4 am. Special worships were performed for Manikka Vinayagar and the Ucchipillayar. A mega kozhkattai made out of 80 kg rice, and an equal amount of jaggery, coconut and other ingredients was offered to the lord.
Other temples
In other temples including the Pulliyankulam Vinayagar temple in Coimbatore, the Thenpakkam Selva Vinayagar temple, the Veppankuppam Varasakthi Vinayagar temple in Vellore district, the celebrations were a big draw.