Chithirai festival is not merely a temple event, but a civilisational continuum: Madurai Bench

Taking a superior presumption of miscreants throwing footwear connected devotees during Lord Kallazhagar’s ceremonial travel culminating successful the deity’s introduction successful the Vaigai as portion of the Chithirai festival, Justice L. Victoria  Gowri of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has issued a acceptable of directions for the authorities to forestall specified incidents.

She was proceeding a petition filed by P. Sundaravadivel of Madurai, who had sought a absorption to the authorities to instrumentality preventive measures. Justice Gowri said throwing footwear astatine devotees successful the midst of a divine procession was not lone an enactment of upset but was besides an affront to faith, an battle upon customary spiritual practice, and a desecration of the secular fraternity that formed portion of the law ethos. “The Chithirai festival is not simply a temple event. It is a civilisational  continuum, a surviving embodiment of Tamil heritage, rooted successful the Sangam culture, and nourished done centuries. The festival, successful its contiguous form, represents the confluence of Meenakshi Amman Temple traditions and Kallazhagar Temple traditions, symbolically uniting  Shaivite and Vaishnavite streams successful a singular look of devotional harmony,” she said.