TIRUCHY: The rising mercury levels didn't deter pilgrims, by the thousands, to traverse the Tiruchy - Chennai NH barefoot and offer potful of flowers to the main deity at Arulmigu Mariamman temple in Samayapuram as part of the annual Poochorithal festival that kicked off on Sunday.
The crowd swelled later in the evening hours for officials to claim it to be "exceptionally larger" than previous years.
During the 28-day long festival, it is believed that the main deity of the temple herself will be in fasting ('pachai pattini viratham'), and so fluids like buttermilk, sugarcane juice and coconut water will only be used for abhishekam. Also, during every Sunday of the period, devotees would offer tonnes of flowers to the deity and take darshan.
Accordingly, the first batch of flowers for the deity was offered by the temple management during the early morning hours on Sunday.
Two tonnes of flowers
Every Sunday, devotees offer tonnes of flowers to the deity and take darshan. A minimum of two tonnes of flowers are expected to be offered till Monday. They are collected and sent to the temple's micro compost yard for bio-fertilisers. production.