TIRUNELVELI: After a gap of two years, the chariot festival was conducted at Nellaiappar Temple on Monday and thousands of devotees thronged the temple to witness the chariot procession. The chariot sustained minor damage during the procession and the ceremony resumed after an hour of repair work.
District Collector V Vishnu, Assembly Speaker M Appavu, MLA Abdul Wahab, MLA Nainar Nagendran Corporation Mayor PM Saravanan and Corporation Commissioner Siva Krishnamurthy also pulled the chariot during the festival. Officials said the Nellaiappar Temple Festival had its roots in various historical and traditional events.
"This 'aani perumtherottom' (the chariot procession) is carried out around this time every year. However, it could not be held in the past two years owing to the pandemic. On July 3, the flag was hoisted for the festival and the officials had made arrangements to welcome thousands of devotees from across the State," they said.
Over 1,000 police personnel were deployed at the temple for security measures on Monday. Meanwhile, political leaders, including Speaker Appavu, paid their respects to freedom fighter Azhagumuthu Kone on the day to commemorate his 312th birth anniversary.