MADURAI: With lakhs of devotees expected to attend the consecration of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple on September 17, the district administration has announced extensive traffic restrictions, dedicated parking facilities and heightened security arrangements around the temple.
The consecration will be held between 7.40 am and 8.10 am on September 17. The Maha Poornahuthi and Kumbha procession will begin at 4 am, followed by special rituals at the Meenakshi and Sundareswarar shrines from 8.30 am to 10 am.
Public darshan will resume from 10 am. A special procession of deities through the four Masi streets will be held at 7 pm.
As part of the security arrangements, only valid pass holders will be permitted on the temple terrace between 5 am and 7 am. Devotees will have to use routes designated according to their colour-coded passes.
The public will be restricted to the four Avani Moola streets during the event. Viewing the ceremony from the rooftops of old or dilapidated buildings has been prohibited.
More than 400 fire personnel, 10 water tankers and emergency vehicles will be deployed. Over 433 CCTV cameras and facial-recognition cameras at 70 locations will monitor the temple and surrounding areas.
Chithirai, Avani Moola and Masi streets will be no-parking zones from the evening of September 16 to the night of September 17. Five temporary bus stands will operate at Palanganatham C2 roundabout, Ellis Nagar, near Chestan Park Hotel, Goripalayam junction and Teppakulam 16-Kaal Mandapam. More than 55 free parking locations have been identified across the city.
Fifty-four medical camps, 12 ambulances, 70 doctors and 150 paramedical staff will be deployed, while a 50-bed special ward will be kept ready at Rajaji Government Hospital. A unified command and control centre will coordinate the arrangements, with two toll-free help lines operating round the clock.
Use Tamil mantras during ritual: Thiruma
Madurai: VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Monday said the entire consecration of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple should be conducted using Tamil mantras and urged the state government to issue necessary orders in this regard. “Goddess Meenakshi is seen as a symbol of Tamil heritage, while Lord Sundareswarar is revered as the leader of the Tamil Sangam.
Considering this cultural significance, there should be no obstacles to conducting the Kumbhabhishekam using the Tamil language,” he told reporters in Madurai. He urged the state government to issue necessary orders to ensure that the entire Kumbhabhishekam process incorporates Tamil mantras. He also said reports of some members of the Vishwakarma community being restricted from participating in certain activities related to the ceremony were unacceptable. ENS
