THANJAVUR: As part of the ‘Mattu’ Pongal festival, special abishekam and poojas were performed for the Maha Nandi, the 12-feet-tall sacred bull statue, at the Big temple here on Tuesday. The Maha Nandi was decorated with vegetables and fruits weighing a total of 1,000 kg.
The day commenced with the ‘Go Pooja’, propitiation of the cow, when 108 cows were lined up around the Maha Nandi. The cows were bathed, decorated with sandal paste and vermilion, garlanded and a pooja was done for them as thousands of devotees flocked the venue. After being fed specially-made Pongal, they were taken out to streets in procession by the farmers.