Devotees in large numbers attend kundam festival at Bannari Mariamman temple

Over 1.5 lakh devotees participate in annual kundam festival at Arulmigu Bannari Mariamman temple, with 'fire walk' ceremony.

Devotees in large numbers, numbering over 1.5 lakh, from various parts of the State and nearby Karnataka, took part in the annual kundam festival at the Arulmigu Bannari Mariamman temple at Bannari and performed ‘fire walk’ here on Tuesday.

At 3:30 a.m., the chief priest performed a puja and walked on the Kundam, followed by other priests, government officials, and temple authorities. P. Amudha, Principal Secretary to the government, Home, Prohibition and Excise Department, was one among the many lakhs of devotees who walked on the Kundam in the early hours. Personnel from the Fire and Rescue Services Department helped devotees who stood in queue and performed the walk until afternoon. Special pujas were performed for the deity, and devotees offered turmeric, salt, and pepper to the deity.

Over 1,000 police personnel, led by Superintendent of Police G. Jawahar, monitored crowd movement and regulated traffic from Monday. Parking lots for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers were allotted near the temple at many places while the TNSTC operated special buses from various places. Since the temple is located along the Coimbatore – Bengaluru National Highway 948, the police department had banned movement of heavy vehicles on Dhimbam Ghat Road from 3 p.m. on Monday to 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Vehicles from Sathyamangalam were diverted through Kadambur Hills to reach Germalam and reach Hasanur while vehicles from Hasanur were also diverted through Kadambur Hills. Help desk and medical teams were also in place.