THOOTHUKUDI: The 11-day Dussehra festival began with the flag hoisting ceremony at the Mutharamman temple at Kulasekarapattinam on Sunday. Several hundred devotees participated in the inaugural ceremony and tied “kappu” on the occasion.
The flag was hoisted by chief priest Ayyappan between 5 am and 5.30 am on Sunday. The festival will conclude with the “Soorasamharam” event on October 20.
The Kulasekarapattinam Dussehra attracts more than 10 lakh devotees across the southern states. The devotees largely appear in the guise of Kali, Durga, Shiva, Hanuman, king, queen, police, women, and various other ‘ammans’. They choose to disguise themselves as any of the gods and goddesses, demons, and animals as per their wish, collect offerings from the general public during the 11 days of the festival, and summon them to Goddess Mutharamman on the 11th day during Soorasamharam.
“Dussehra sets”, comprising a troupe of 10 to 20 devotees disguised as various gods and goddesses, especially “Kali,” tour every village and house to perform rituals and dances.
The district administration had banned the performance of obscene dances by actors and actresses during the Dussehra festival following court directions.
Meanwhile, 11 persons, including the driver, were injured as a cargo vehicle in which they were travelling towards the Mutharamman temple toppled near a college on the Tiruchendur-Tirunelveli state highway. These devotees had departed from Keelamudiman near Ottapidaram to participate in the flag-hoisting ceremony. Tiruchendur police shifted the injured to the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital.