The annual festival at Mangadu temple and homage to a Sufi Saint

Grand Thai Poosam celebration at Vadapalani Andavar Temple with milk pots, ‘Kavadis’, and deity processions; Dargah festival for Sufi Saint.

Thai Poosam was a grand celebration in temples across the city. At the Vadapalani Andavar Temple, the event was celebrated on two days, with nearly 8,000 women bearing pots of milk on their heads and around 1,000 devotees carried ‘Kavadis’. More than one lakh devotees visited the temple.

Temple officials said that on February 10, the deity was taken out in procession on the peacock ‘vahanam’. On the second day, a government holiday, the deity was decked in a golden ‘kavacham’ and a golden ‘Vel’ (a divine spear) in the morning. In the evening, it was ‘Raja Alankaram’. “We ensured that all the milk brought by devotees was poured into drums and then transferred to the sanctum sanctorum for ‘abhishekam’. ‘Prasadam’ was distributed throughout the day. It was 1.30 a.m. when the temple was closed,” an official said.

At the Kamakshiamman Temple at Mangadu, Thai Poosam was celebrated with a grand float festival for three days. Special pujas were conducted and the presiding deity, Sri Kamakshimamman, was taken out in procession in Simha Vahanam, Karpaga Vriksha Vahanam, and Naga Vahanam in the evenings. The idols of Valli Devasena Sametha Subramaniaswamy and Velliswarar were taken out on the float. On the last day, the utsava idol of Sri Vaikunta Perumal too was taken out on the float in the tank, said Manali R. Srinivasan, hereditary trustee of the temple.

K. Chitradevi, Deputy Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, said arrangements were made for provision of drinking water and distribution of ‘prasadam’. Police assistance was sought to manage crowds. Temple volunteers too lent a hand. According to legend, the Kamakshiamman was sent to Earth to perform penance, which is why the temple does not have a shrine for Lord Shiva. Instead, Vaikunta Perumal, the deity of the nearby Perumal temple, is believed to be Her brother, waiting to get her married.

The 450-year-old Dargah on Anna Salai had its annual festival for Sufi Saint Hazrath Syed Moosa Sha Khaderi (R.A). The event began with the flag hoisting on February 1, announcing the start of the month of Shabaan, the one before Ramzan.

According to Syed Mansooruddin, a hereditary trustee of the Dargah, popularly known as the Mount Road Dargah, the flag was hoisted after the sighting of the moon. On the 15th day from the sighting, the sandal pot was taken out in procession, prayers from the Quran were recited, and sandalwood paste was applied on the samadhi of the saint.

Devotees bring smaller flags and tie them on the flag pole. Many also tie Sheharas, flower manes tied on the forehead of grooms during weddings.