Thousands throng the banks of the Cauvery to celebrate Aadi Perukku

The banks of the Cauvery in Tiruchi were abuzz on Sunday with thousands of people gathered there to celebrate the Aadi Perukku festival on the 18^th day of Tamil month of Aadi.

Women, newly-wed couples, and children thronged Amma Mandapam bathing ghat in Srirangam. Devotees, mainly newly-weds, offered special prayers and puja. Many devotees took a dip in the Cauvery, which was in full flow. They began assembling at Amma Mandapam early in the morning. As the day progressed, the crowds continued to swell. The approach road to Amma Mandapam from Mambazhasalai was overcrowded from 6 a.m. to late in the evening.

“It is a scintillating experience to perform puja on the banks of the Cauvery, especially when there is good flow. It is highly enjoyable. Enthusiasm is clearly visible everywhere,” said S. Selvakumar of Srirangam.

The day marked the commencement of cultivation season as most farmers go by the saying Aadi pattam thedi vidhai. The farmers, who visited the bathing ghats, offered special prayer to the Cauvery for a bountiful harvest. They expressed their gratitude to Mother Cauvery for sustaining their livelihood. Youth made it a point to visit the riverbanks to soak in the festive atmosphere.

Odathurai, Ayyalamman, and other bathing ghats witnessed heavy crowds throughout the day. Since the river was in full flow, barricades were put up as a precautionary measure to check the crowds from venturing into the river. Police pickets were posted in most bathing ghats along the river. Amma Mandapam was cordoned off with barricades being placed. No vehicles, especially four-wheelers and buses, were allowed on either side of Amma Mandapam Road in Srirangam.

Similarly, riverbanks at Kulithalai, Mayanur, Lalapettai, Mukkombu, Pettavaithalai, Thiruparaithurai, Thottiyam, Musiri, and Kambarasampettai, saw large crowds.