A large number of devotees and pilgrims from different parts of the State took a holy dip at the Ammamandapam bathing ghat on the banks of the river Cauvery in Srirangam on the occasion of ‘Aadi Amavasai’ on Saturday.
Special arrangements made by various departments and service organisations facilitated people to take a holy dip in the river. People performed religious rites for their ancestors.
The bathing ghat was overcrowded since early morning. Though the Cauvery riverbed remained bone-dry, borewell dug up on the riverbed ensured copious supply of water for people who took holy dip before performing rites for their ancestors. At the end of the rituals, devotees were seen offering fruits, banana, and vegetables. Stainless steel drums were kept for dropping the wet clothes, as part of the ritual.
A number of sanitary workers were seen clearing the plantain leaves at various places at the ghat to ensure hygiene in the area.
Police regulated traffic at Mambala Salai, Ammamandapam bathing ghat, and the bus stop area near the Rajagopuram. Only two-wheelers from Mambala Salai were permitted to enter the Ammamandapam Road and all other vehicles were diverted via Tiruvanaikovil. Uniformed and plain-clothed personnel kept a vigil at various places, regulating the queues at the temple on the ghat campus, and guiding the pilgrims about the bathing arrangements.
Public address system was utilised to alert the members of the public to exercise vigil against pocket pickers, chain snatchers, and anti-social elements.
For those who anticipated copious flow of waters in the Cauvery it was a disappointment. However, the alternative arrangements made by the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation and the district administration compensated for it to a great extent, the devotees said.
