Lord Kallazhagar Enters Vaigai River
Madurai (Tamil Nadu) : Amid thundering hymns of Lord Govinda and a sea of humanity, Lord Kallazhagar, the presiding deity of Alagar Kovil, entered the Vaigai river here on Friday morning, marking the celestial climax of the annual Chithirai festival. Decorated in green silk, a traditional symbol symbolizing prosperity and good harvest throughout the year, the deity entered the river on a golden horse “vahanam”, where thousands of devotees from across the state and beyond witnessed the spectacle.
The event is held every year to commemorate the legend of Lord Sundararaja Perumal, who saved Mandooka Maharishi from his curse in the guise of Kallazhagar.
The festival proceedings had started on April 27 in the Alagar hills, when the god set out in a golden palanquin.
After entering the city, after a grand reception known as Ethir Seva at the Three Mawadis, the procession passed through various districts, including Pudur and Tallakulam.
At the Prasanna Venkatachalapathi temple in Tallakulam, the deity wore the garland sent from the Srivilliputhur Andal temple and later appeared in the thousand-pillar vahana. As the procession moved towards the river bank, devotees dressed as Kallazhagar and Karuppanasamy were spraying scented water from leather bags, while women were praying by lighting lamps made of rough cloth in their hands.
On reaching Vaigai, Kallazhagar was welcomed by Lord Veeraraghava Perumal, riding on a silver horse. The deity then entered the river area, which was specially decorated with two-tone flowers and lotus petals.
After circling the area three times to bless the assembled crowd, special prayers and deep aradhana were performed in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments section and Veeraraghava Perumal mandagapadis.
Madurai city police commissioner Abhishek Dixit oversaw a major security operation where iron barricades were erected to manage crowd flow and heavy deployment of personnel from Tallakulam to the river.
While fire brigade and rescue teams were deployed to the river banks, medical teams were also kept ready for emergencies.
After the river entry, thousands of devotees fulfilled their vows by shaving their heads along the river banks as the deity moved towards the Ramaraya mandapam for the ‘theerthavari’ ritual.
