Earlier this month, Mylapore Times featured a story on the final street procession of April with the Garuda Seva Brahmotsavam at Mari Chetty Venkatesa Perumal temple (Final St Procession April).
This Saturday evening, devotees in good numbers witnessed the final inside prakara procession for the month on the 7th day of the Vasantha Utsavam at Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple after the TN government announced that people will not be allowed into temples/ religious spaces starting Monday morning after a full lockdown on Sunday.
Following the Sani Pradosham festivities on Saturday, Sri Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal began their procession inside the temple complex half an hour later than usual just after 8pm. An hour later, devotees watched the Sripatham present the snake dance to lead the lord back to the Thiru Kalyana mandapam bringing to end the 7th day of the utsavam.
Through this week, there has been a perceptible reduction in the devotees at the temple, both in the morning and evening. And the restrictions on devotees entry into the temple from Sunday morning will result in total reduction in ‘Thattu Kaasu’ for the archakas who have already been facing financial challenges as a result of the Covid restrictions over the last one year.
Over the next week, only the priests, the staff and the service personnel will be allowed inside the temple.
On Tuesday evening, as part of the tenth and final day celebrations of Kapaleeswarar’s Vasantha Utsavam, a pancha moorthy procession is slated to take place inside the temple but devotees will not be able to witness this due to the new lockdown restrictions.
- Report, photo by S. Prabhu
Will they live stream the Vasantha Utsavam
Keep tab on the temple’s YT channel.