The 10-day-long annual festival at the famed Bhagavathy temple at the coastal town of Mondaikad in Kanayakumari district began today with the traditional "Kodiyettu" (flag hoisting) attended by thousands of people from different parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Chief Priest Chattanatha Kurukkal and Tantri Edakkode Mahadeva Iyer conducted the rituals and hoisted the temple flag at the newly-erected "Kodimaram" in the presence of Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan.
Valiyapadukka, one of the major rituals conducted during the festival, will be held on March 3 and the procession of Valiya Theevatti on March 6.
The festival ends on March 7 with the Odukku Pooja in the midnight.
Swami Swarupananda Maharaj, the head of the Sri Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashram at Tiruchirapalli, inaugurated the ten-day Hindu Maha Sammelan, organized by the Haindava Seva Sangham.
Tamil Nadu police has made elaborate security arrangements and deployed 1,000 police personnel.
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