VILLUPURAM: In a ritual followed in Ottanandhal village near Thiruvennainallur block of Villupuram district, lemons used during the prayers at a Murugan temple were sold for Rs 2.3 lakh in an auction that was held on Monday.
A Manickam(55), a resident of Ottanandhal village said, “This is a tradition that has been followed for more than 50 years as far as I can remember. My parents told me that it existed even before that and we believe it. The lemons that were used in the week-long puja before the Panguni Utharam day are auctioned and people believe that the lemons have supreme power to wade off evil and offer good things to those who acquire it and so patrons come from different parts of the state, some even from outside TN to buy it.”
Sources said, “The ritual began around 10 pm with over 200 people from within the village and few people from Karnataka and Kerala. Lemons that were 9 days old were sold for Rs 10,000 followed by lemons from the consecutive descending days until one day old lemon. The highest price was Rs 50,050 for the one-day old lemon.”
The temple priest said, “Couples who want a child, patients who pray for healing or those who want good things to happen to them come for the lemons, usually. It is a strong belief that these lemons are miraculous and those whose prayers had been answered visit the temple regularly every year as a gesture of gratitude.”
The auction event goes on to fulfill the stomachs of the patrons and devotees present at the gathering with a sumptuous meal of steamed rice with kaara kuzhambu (spicy curry), karuvattu kuzhambu (dry fish curry) and veggie stir. The rice will be laid on the ground like a sand castle on the ends of which lamps will be lit and the hot curry will be cooked beside the rice castle.