The utsava idol of Lord Kandaswamy at Tiruporur during the procession on Saturday evening.
The idols of ‘Suran’ during the procession on Saturday evening.
If you haven’t witnessed a Sura Samharam as yet and are in the city, then make sure you make time on Monday evening to visit the Kandaswamy Temple at Thiruporur where you can see Lord Muruga fight seven ‘Suras’. The temple administration has made elaborate arrangements to ensure safety of the crowds that gather from nearby villages.
The event where Lord Muruga takes the ‘Vel’ from Devi Meenakshi and fights and slays the ‘Suran’ to mark ‘Kanda Sashti’, will happen from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. near the eastern Rajagopuram. “We expect around 10,000 devotees to witness the event during which you can see people poking the ‘Suran’ dolls with their own arrows. Police personnel are being stationed to manage the crowds. We have earmarked space for car parking. The place where the ‘Samharam’ takes place will be barricaded. Traffic diversions too would be in place to ensure that pedestrian movement is not hampered,” explained Kumaravel, Executive Officer of the temple.
The temple has a tradition of getting new dolls of ‘Suran’ made every year. There are six tall dolls made using bamboo frames and filled with hay, jute ropes and paper machie. These dolls are made every year by a family of artisans from near Puducherry. They also take part in the daily procession of the presiding deity.
