Two persons were killed in a stampede at the Madurai Kallazhagar festival. Many were seriously injured.
Every year on Chitra Pournami, Sundararajaperumal disguises himself as Kallazhagar and wakes up in Kallazhagar Vaigai in order to absolve Manduka Maharishi from the curse. The festival has not been held for the past two years as a corona spread prevention measure.
In this context, this year’s Kallazhagar Chithirai Festival started on April 12. Following this, for the 3rd day event, it was arranged to leave Algarkovil for Madurai in the guise of Sundaraja Perumal Kallazhagar the day before yesterday.
On the 18th, in front of the Karuppanasamy temple, a procession marched towards Madurai on a golden platter disguised as a kandangi silkworm.
A counter-service was held at Munrumavadi yesterday morning to welcome the thief who arrived in Madurai. Following this, Perumal awoke as a warrior on a silver horse when the thief came on a golden horse into the Vaigai area.
The women greeted the fortified Ramar who came to wake up in Vaigai with a wheel lamp and came forward. Exactly 5.50 am in Vaigai and between 6.20 am the thief woke up in Vaigai river.
Earlier in the day, the hall was adorned with 2 tons of colorful flowers for the event. Iron fences were erected and heavy security was put up by the police to mark the occasion of the uprising in the Vaigai River.
Millions of devotees not only from Madurai but also from various districts and states flocked to the city of Madurai from the Tallakulam to Vaigai rivers to witness the event.
On the flyovers, devotees sat on top of the buildings and watched.
Pilgrims were not allowed inside the Vaigai as the speed of the water in Vaigai increased, and firefighters and disaster rescue teams were stationed around Vaigai for safety.
Tens of thousands of people sat on the shores of the river Vaigai and paid their dues.
Devotees from outside the city sat on the roads from midnight to visit the fort and then set off for the banks of the Vaigai River to witness the fort rising.
The main event of the Madurai Kallazhagar Chithirai Festival, the Kallazhagar Vaigaiyar Awakening event was held this morning. Millions of devotees from various districts and states, not just Madurai, flocked to Vaigai at the same time to witness this.
Devotees were allowed only on the shores as the Vaigai was flooded.
The public saw Sami standing in neck-deep water in defiance of the ban. Thus the crowd was so large that there was no space even for a thread. Jayalakshmi from Cellur area of Madurai and Selvam from Uthamapalaiyam area in Theni district were killed in the stampede.
The incident took place at 6 am today in Vaigai.
Then there was an unruly crowd near the Goripalayam Devar statue which caused a thorn in the side of the public.
And many were injured in the stampede. They are Muniyammal (Dindigul), Palani (Munaru), Mariammal (Sekkanurani), Satya (Thirumangalam), Jayalakshmi (Sammandipuram), Suthanthiramani (Thirumangalam), Muthu Krishnaveni (Cellur), Maheshwari (Cellur), Panchavarnam (Villur), Manimegalai (Ammapatti). ), Identified as Valli (Aviyur). They have been admitted to the intensive care unit of the Madurai Rajaji Government Hospital.
Minister for Commercial Taxes and Securities Murthy, Municipal Police Commissioner Senthilkumar and District Collector Anis Sehgar visited the dead and injured in the stampede at Rajaji Government Hospital.
Murthy, Minister of Securities of Tamil Nadu
Later, on the orders of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the families of the two will be given Rs 5 lakh each, Rs 10 lakh each and the injured Rs 1 lakh each, Minister Murthy said.
The helpline number 9498042434 has been provided to the District Press and Public Relations Officer for posting photos of the victims and providing information about the victims. Meanwhile, the district administration has advised that even those who have not returned home after attending the function can contact this number.
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