Date:21/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/21/stories/2008082160040600.htm

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Kumbabhishekam performed

Staff Reporter

—Photo: R. Ashok

Divine: Kumbabhishekam being performed at Sri Manika Vinayagar shrine at the Rockfort temple in Tiruchi, on Wednesday.

Tiruchi: A large number of devotees offered worship to Sri Manicka Vinayagar at the foot of the Rockfort Sri Thayumanavaswamy temple here on Wednesday, on the occasion of the ‘mahakumbabhishekam’ of the shrine.

Exactly at 9.30 a.m, amidst religious fervour, holy waters from ‘gadams’ were sprinkled on the kalasams of the gold-coated vimanam of the shrine, marking the ‘mahakumbabhishekam’ of the ‘noothana swarna vimanam’. It was followed by the ‘mahakumbabhishekam’ of the presiding deity and the processional idol.Earlier, the ‘gadams’ were taken from the ‘yagasalai’ where special puja was performed.

Minister for Hindu Religious and Endowment P. R. Periyakaruppan, Minister for Transport K. N. Nehru and Commisioner for HR and CE Department K. Pitchandi were among those present.

A special free medical camp was held as part of the ‘mahakumbabhishekam’, according to temple executive officer G. Gopalakrishnan. The ‘mahakumbabhishekam’ was last performed in 2000. Special bandobust by the police for the religious festival ensured its smooth conduct. All lanes leading to the temple were closed to traffic.