Chennai: Spiritual fervour marked the first day of the New Year on Monday with the people in their traditional attire visiting temples and churches to offer their prayers. Special poojas were held and abhishekams performed at various temples across the State. People thronged the temples from very early in the day to offer worship.
The Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple within the TTD Information Centre at T. Nagar in Chennai witnessed an unprecedented number of devotees since morning. Several families who came from various parts of the city waited in a long meandering queue that spilled onto the arterial road, for darshan of the Lord and Goddess Padmavathi.
Similar crowds were seen at the city’s ancient Sri Parthasarathy Swamy temple, Sri Kapaleeswarar temple, at Andavar temple at Vadapalani and Sri Hayagriva Swamy temple and Anjaneyar temple in Nanganallur.
Reports from the districts too indicated a large number of people offering prayers at the ancient Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam, Lord Varadaraja Swamy temple and Goddess Kamatchi Amman temple in Kancheepuram, Sri Meenakshi Sundareswar temple at Madurai, Sri Bhagawathy Amman temple in Kanyakumari and Sri Ramanathaswamy temple at Rameswaram. Devotees also thronged all the six abodes of Lord Muruga to offer prayers.
Similarly, New Year special mass was held at the famous Santhome Basilica Church, Annai Vailankanni Shrine (Our Lady of Good Health), Besant Nagar here, St. Thomas Church, and Annai Vailankannai Shrine in Nagapattinam district.
The Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, DMK working president M. K. Stalin, MDMK chief Vaiko and PMK founder Dr. S. Ramadoss also extended their wishes to the people on the occasion. Cultural programmes too were organised as part of celebrations to welcome the New Year.
