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Thousands witness Tirunallar kumbabishekam

Staff Reporter

Pondicherry Government constructs 7-tier gopuram

TEMPLE RENOVATED: Mahakumbabishekam of the Lord Dharbaranyeswarar temple in Tirunallar near Karaikal being performed on Friday. — Photo: K. Subramaniam

KARAIKAL: Thousands of devotees on Friday witnessed the Mahakumbabishekam of Goddess Pranambika samedha Sri Dharbaranyeswaraswamy temple, popularly known as Lord Saneeswara Bhagawan temple at Tirunallar, about 5 kms from Karaikal in the Union Territory of Pondicherry.

More than 300 Sivachariars and Vedic scholars from various places conducted yagasala poojas in the last four days and performed the kumbabishekam around 9.45 a.m. in the presence of large number of VIPs including Lt. Gen. M.M.Lakhera, Lt.Governor of Pondicherry, Srilasri Shanmuga Desika Paramacharya Swamigal, head of Dharmapuram Adheenam Mutt and Sudhir Kumar, Collector of Karaikal district.

The Pondicherry Government built a new seven-tier Rajagopuram at a cost of Rs. 90 lakh. Seventeen vimanas including that of Lord Saneeswarar and other deities were renovated at a total cost of Rs. 2 crore. Gold-plated kalasams were fixed atop the Rajagopuramand vimanas of other deities. The vimana of Lord Saneeswara was covered with gold-coated plates contributed by a donor from London. The kumbabishekam to the temple was performed after 12 years. The construction of the main rajagopuram began in 1990 and the former president, Zail Singh, laid the foundation stone. The temple has shrines for Ganapathi, Somaskandar, Sapatamatas, Vishnu, Gajalakshmi, Natarajar with His consort Sivakami, Bhairavar, Surya, Navagrahas and Saivite saints apart from the famous Lord Saneeswara shrine.

Apart from the "sani peyarchi" festival once in two-and-a-half years, the main festival is celebrated for 18 days in the month of Vaikasi.

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