The annual car festival of the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore was celebrated here on Friday. Large crowds gathered to witness the grandly decorated temple car despite the heat and traffic diversions due to Metro Rail work in the locality. The car, carrying the utsava idols of Lord Kapaleeswarar and Devi Karpagambal, left the temple around 9 a.m. After going around the four Mada Streets, it returned at 12.55 p.m.
The car festival is usually held on the seventh day of the Panguni Peruvizha. The festival witnessed unusually large crowds.
Temple authorities had arranged for drinking water and temporary toilets. A total of 1,200 police personnel, two ambulances, and one medical team from the Greater Chennai Corporation were deployed for the festival. A doctor, who was part of the medical team, said a lot of elderly persons who had come for the event complained of tiredness and giddiness. Prasadam was also distributed to devotees. As is the practice, many people distributed food and water all along the Mada Streets.
