States » SouthPosted at: Sep 17 2026 5:15PM


Divine dawn in Madurai, as lakhs witness Meenakshi Sundareswarr temple consecration

Madurai, Sep 17 (UNI) It was a divine dawn at the tastefully decorated and illuminated temple town of Madurai as lakhs of devotees from various parts of the country and also from abroad witnessed the Maha Kumbabhishekam of the historic Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple on Wednesday, marking the consecration of the world renowned temple after a gap of 17 years.
The spiritually significant event drew lakhs of devotees from across Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country to the Temple City, which wore a festive look.
As part of the consecration rituals, sacred water-filled kalasams were taken in procession amid traditional religious ceremonies and recital of vedic hymns, the holy water was first poured over the golden vimanas (Kalasams) of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar and subsequently over the temple’s Rajagopurams (towers).
The Maha Kumbabhishekam followed elaborate preparatory rituals that began on September 6. Special yagasala pujas were conducted on the temple premises as part of the consecration. A total of 184 yaga kundams and 56 yagasalas were established for the rituals.
Sacred water brought from the Ganga at Kashi and seven other holy rivers was used during the consecration ceremonies. Priests performed a series of rituals and pujas ahead of the main event, with devotees gathering in large numbers to witness the proceedings.
Extensive arrangements were made across Madurai in view of the huge influx of devotees. Around 6,000 police personnel were deployed for security, crowd regulation and traffic management. More than 200 CCTV cameras and facial-recognition cameras were also installed at strategic locations to monitor the movement of devotees and strengthen surveillance. In view of the milling crowd, giant LED screens were installed at key intersections in the city and the consecreation ceremony was streamed live to enable the public to witness it.
The district administration and various government departments made arrangements for special bus services, parking facilities, medical camps, drinking-water points and other basic amenities for the benefit of the teeming devotees.
Annadhanam (free meals) was offered in the morning (breakfast comprising Pongal, Idlu, Medhu Vada and Rava Kesari) and lunch (Sambar rice, Vegetable Rice, Tomato Rice and Curd rice) were offered to more than one lakh devotees at 21 locations.
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