Heavy traffic on R K Mutt Road just after 11 a.m. on Tuesday made it challenging for the procession of saint- poet Thiru Gnana Sambandar to reach the west end of the tank of Sri Kapali Temple.
Buses packed both sides of the road as did a number of private vehicles. And the flow of heavy traffic just did not help in taking out a unique procession.
Inside the temple, there were chaotic scenes just after noon with devotees being crushed in the long curving queue that led to the Ambal sannidhi. Clearly, end to end management of temple visitors has not been planned, or executed.
While the temple’s focus was mainly on the Arubathumoovar event, the managers were found wanting in posting people to manage the huge crowd that lined up for moolavar darshan.
There were no temple staffers to manage this queue. A senior police inspector who visited the scene too went away without responding.
The devotees in queues could not access drinking water and on this hot summer’s day, tempers ran high.
– Report, photos by S Prabhu
