Overview
- Lord Kallazhagar entered the Vaigai River during Madurai’s Chithirai festival, which runs through May 6, as lakhs of devotees lined the banks.
- The deity wore green silk and rode a golden horse vahanam, a sign of hopes for a good harvest.
- Madurai police led by Commissioner Abhishek Dixit managed crowd flow with iron barricades, heavy deployment, and fire, rescue and medical teams on standby.
- After the river entry, priests held the theerthavari ritual at Ramaraya mandapam, and many devotees kept vows by tonsuring their heads.
- The rite recalls the legend of Sundararaja Perumal lifting a curse on Mandooka Maharishi and underscores Shaivite–Vaishnavite unity.