di Perukku, which falls on the 18th day of the Tamil month of Aadi, was celebrated with usual gaiety and enthusiasm across Erode, Salem and Dharmapuri districts on Monday. The festival pays tribute to water’s life-sustaining properties.
Bhavani Kooduthurai
Thousands of devotees took a holy dip at Bhavani Kooduthurai in Erode on Monday.
The bathing ghats were crowded for most part of the day at the confluence of rivers Cauvery, Bhavani and Agaya Ganga –considered as the Triveni Sangam of South India. There was sufficient water release from Mettur dam to enable people take a holy dip.
Old and young people performed pujas in large numbers at Kooduthurai as well as on other embankments including Kodumudi. Police teams were posted in large numbers to regulate the crowd. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation also operated special services.
Mettur
A large number of newlyweds and women worshipped River Cauvery in Mettur. People from various walks of life began arriving in Mettur from different parts of the district since the break of dawn. They took a holy dip in River Cauvery and offered worship at the Anaikattu Muniappan Swami Temple. Some of them brought ‘mulaippari’ and offered it to the river after prayers. The residents of Mettur and Kolathur came in a procession with idols of gods. They cleaned them in the river and later took them back to the temples. A large number of people offered worship in different temples across the district in connection with Aadi Perukku.
Police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel were deployed in good strength near the bathing ghats.
Following the arrival of large number of people in private vehicles, the police had announced diversion of traffic in Mettur town. The buses proceeding to Kolathur from Mettur were diverted via Ponnagar, Kullaveeranpatti.
The Mettur Dam park, Anaikattu Muniappan Temple, Mettur bus stand etc overflowed with people. Police had made elaborate security arrangements.
The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation operated special buses on different routes from Salem, Namakkal, Tiruchengode, Sankagiri, Rasipuram, Karavalli, Edappadi, Taramangalam to Mettur.
Hogenakkal Falls
All roads led to Hogenakkal in Dharmapuri for Adi Perukku as tourists thronged the water falls for a holy dip. The Tourism Department put up a cultural extravaganza.
Cultural troupes from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh put up shows. As many as 18 stalls showcasing various schemes and programmes were put up by the departments of social welfare, ICDS, arts and culture, ‘Puduvaazhvu Thittam’, and allied departments.
Little known cultural troupes from Hogenakkal also got a platform to showcase their talents. Close to 1 lakh tourists visited Hogenakkal falls. The administration expects another 50,000 tourists to arrive on Tuesday.
Reporting by Syed
Muthahar in Salem,
R. Krishnamoorthy in Erode
and P.V. Srividya in Dharmapuri
The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation operated special services for the festival
