MADURAI: After a hiatus of two years due to the pandemic, the famed car festival was held at Andal temple in Srivilliputhur in Virudhunagar district on Monday. State ministers, local dignitaries, officials and thousands of devotees participated in the car festival.
The Andal temple is one of the 108 Vaishnavite shrines in the country and a prominent one in Tamil Nadu. During the Tamil month of Aadi (July – August), the temple festival is taken up and Aadipooram day is very auspicious for the temple since Aandal was born on that day and she appears in the chariot and goes around the temple.
People barring the regions throng the temple on Aadipooram day to participate in the car festival. Pulling the chariot of the deity is considered a blessing in the town.
The temple festival commenced with a flag hoisting on July 24. On the fifth day of the festival, Garudasevai ritual was held. The seventh day marked Rangamannar Sayana Sevai.
The car festival – the culmination of the festival – commenced at 9.05am on Monday. Special prayers were offered to Aandal and Rangamannar – the presiding deities – ahead of the car festival. The deities left their abode as early as 3am and were carried to the chariot.
State revenue and disaster management minister K K S S R Ramachandran, state industries minister Thangam Thennarasu, district collector Meganath Reddy and temple officials formally pulled the chariot starting the event and thousands of devotees took the rope and car festival went around the four car streets in the town.
The chariot of the deities returned to the temple at noon. Heavy police deployment was done in and around the temple under the command of district S P Manoharan.
The district administration has declared a local holiday in view of the festival. Special buses were operated to Srivilliputhur town. Srivilliputhur’s famous milk peda was on brisk sales since people visiting the town always buy the sweetmeat.
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