Thiruchendur Murugan Temple consecration held after 16 years

After a gap of 16 years, the historic consecration ceremony of the Thiruchendur Murugan Temple in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district took place on Monday (July 7) morning.

Elaborate arrangements were made by the district administration in coordination with the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department to ensure a smooth and secure event.

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Thiruchendur temple consecration

Thiruchendur, revered as the second of Lord Murugan’s six abodes (Arupadai Veedu), is witnessing a massive turnout of devotees from across the state for the consecration of the Lord Subramaniya Swamy temple.

The consecration rituals began on July 1 with the Yagasala poojas inside the temple premises. The main Kumbabishekam ceremony was conducted between 6.15 am and 6.50 am on Monday. The last such consecration was held in 2009.

Devotees from across the state started converging on Tiruchendur on Sunday (July 6). To manage the crowd and enhance security during the auspicious event, the police have deployed advanced surveillance measures.

Basic amenities for devotees

Since the commencement of Yagasala puja on July 1, which marks the beginning of the rituals for the consecration ceremony, the temple has seen a steady influx of visitors from neighbouring districts.

Expecting a crowd of 10 lakh to gather for the consecration ceremony, the district administration has made provisions for basic amenities such as drinking water, public sanitation, and food distribution.

Parking arrangements have been made at three designated locations to ease traffic congestion. To avoid excessive crowding and to cover a wider area, drones have been deployed to sprinkle holy water over the devotees.

The police have urged the pilgrims not to converge at a single point for this purpose, noting that drones will cover the entire area, extending up to parking zones.

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Elaborate security arrangements

To ensure the safety of the pilgrims and to manage the crowd, around 6,000 police personnel have reportedly been deployed on duty for the consecration ceremony.

Over 5,500 police personnel from 20 districts have reportedly been deployed for bandobust under SPs of nine districts, including Tenkasi, Kanniyakumari, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Madurai, 32 Additional Superintendent of Police, 73 DSPs and 87 police inspectors at Thiruchendur.

Three four-wheeled patrol vehicles equipped with 360-degree cameras, 10 GPS-enabled bikes, and a drone surveillance system have been introduced to monitor the temple town. These patrol units will be tracked in real-time from a central control room, staffed round-the-clock by police personnel on rotational shifts.

LED displays have been placed at vantage points in and around the temple to enable devotees to witness the event. The district administration has declared a local holiday for schools and colleges on Monday.

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Crowd safety

The Tuticorin district administration has put in place extensive transport, safety, and emergency arrangements, as a large crowd of devotees is expected for the consecration (kudamuzhuku) ceremony on Monday.

550 fire and rescue staff with 20 fire engines will be deployed throughout the temple and coastal zones. Two state disaster response force teams are on standby. A medical emergency centre including, a four-bed facility with doctors and ambulance services, has been set up in the temple premises to handle health emergencies.

Officials have been posted along the shore and various parts of the temple to prevent any untoward incidents at the event. Local fishermen have also been engaged along the seashore to assist in emergency rescue operations. To streamline traffic, three temporary bus stands have been set up at key entry points along the Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, and Nagercoil approach roads.

Parking arrangements for more than 20,000 buses and 10,000 private vehicles have been made across 18 designated lots, each equipped with drinking water, toilets, and lighting.