Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu): Lakhs of people on Wednesday paid obeisance to their forebears and performed “Tarpanam” at various sacred ghats and water bodies across Tamil Nadu on the occasion of “Mahalaya Amavasya.”
While all new moon days were reserved for remembering the ancestors, the Mahalaya Amavasya that falls in the Tamil month of “Purattasi” is considered a highly auspicious day for performing oblations to the ancestors to seek their blessings.
Cooked rice, fruits, vegetables, and black sesame seeds were offered to the departed souls as part of the Tarpana rituals.
Mahalaya Amavasya was observed with great reverence at the holy island of Rameswaram.
Over three lakh people from various parts of the country thronged “Agni Theertha Kadarkarai” (seashore) and propitiated the departed souls on the occasion.
Special poojas were performed at the world-renowned Sri Ramanatha Swamy Temple.
The processional idols of the deities of Lord Shiva, Lord Ramanatha Swamy, and Goddess Seetha were taken in a traditional procession from the temple to the sea, where special rituals were performed to the deities.
Special prayers were also offered to ‘Navagraha Idols’ (nine planets) at Devipattinam in Ramanathapuram district on the occasion.
Reports said lakhs of people thronged the banks of the River Cauvery at religiously significant Amma Mandapam bathing ghats at Srirangam, besides the Delta districts through which the river traverses across the state, and paid their oblations.
Hundreds of people congregated on the seashore at Poompuhar, located at the confluence of the River Cauvery and the Bay of Bengal in Nagapattinam district, since early in the morning and took a holy dip and offered prayers.
Lakhs of devotees performed Pithru Puja to the departed souls at ‘Triveni Sangamam’ (convergence of three seas – the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean) at Kanyakumari.
Reports reaching here said the day was observed with reverence and solemnity by devout at various water bodies across the state.
Special pujas were offered to the presiding deities at all the important and historic temples throughout the state in view of the holy day.
