THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state transport corporations of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have announced special inter-state bus services from Thiruvananthapuram, taking into account the impending rush of pilgrims to Mandaikadu Bhagavathy Amman Temple in Kanyakumari district.
The Tamil Nadu government has informed that elaborate arrangements have been made to regulate the flow of pilgrims from different parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The 10-day-long ‘Koda’ festival at the temple began on Sunday with the ‘kodiyettu’ (flag hoisting) ceremony, in the presence of thousands of devotees. West Bengal governor C V Ananda Bose, former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and former Kerala minister V S Sivakumar were among a host of dignitaries who attended the rituals, culminating in the hoisting of the temple flag at 8.30am.
The legendary Koda, the high-point of the annual festival, will take place on March 11.
It will be attended by lakhs of devotees from various regions of Tamil Nadu and the southern parts of Kerala. ‘Valiyapadukka’, a major midnight ritual of the festival, will be performed on March 7 and the procession of ‘valiya theevatti’ on March 10, before the festival concludes with the ‘odukku pooja’ on March 11 midnight.