Large number of devotees participate in kundam festival at Bannari Mariamman temple in Erode district

A devotee taking part in the ‘fire walk’ ritual at the Bannari Mariamman temple in Erode district on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: M. GOVARTHAN

At 3.45 a.m., chief priest Rajasekar performed puja and walked on the kundam, followed by other priests and temple authorities. Devotees from various parts of the State and from Karnataka performed ‘fire walk’ from 4 a.m. that continued till afternoon.

Fire and Rescue Services personnel and the police allowed devotees one by one to walk on the kundam to prevent untoward incidents. Finally, people with their cattle performed the walk. Devotees offered turmeric, salt and pepper to the deity and performed special pujas on the occasion. Special pujas will continue in the coming days and the festival will conclude on April 10.

Around 1,600 police personnel drawn from western districts were posted for duty in and around the temple to manage the crowd and also to prevent crime activities. Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Limited operated special buses from various places to the temple and health teams from Ukkaram Government Primary Health Centre were also stationed in the temple.

The temple is located near the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and movement of heavy vehicles from Sathyamangalam to Punajanur check post on the Coimbatore – Bengaluru National Highway 948 was restricted from 3 p.m. on Monday to 3 p.m. on Tuesday.