Soorasamharam celebration held inside temple campus this year

The annual Soorasamharam celebration at Sri Veerabhadraswamy Temple in Mylapore carries much of the folk tradition with it.

This year though, the symbolic ritual of the Skanda Shasti time had to be limited to the open space inside the temple campus due to pandemic time regulations.

In the normal time, the Soorasamharam is enacted in the street that runs outside this temple, with the temple priest playing a dominant role as the story of lord Muruga getting rid of Asuras in different forms unfolds to the bursting of crackers, the sound of band music and cries of children.

The ritual which was held on Friday, Nov.20 night at this temple was simple and less dramatic though, with some 50-odd people who had gathered inside the temple witnessing it.

Earlier in the morning, after the main rituals, devotees were served a rich prasadam.

The Soorasamharam celebration of Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple is also grand and enacted on North Mada Street. Last evening though, the rituals were held inside the temple, and were not open to people but the whole event was web streamed live.