Tamil Nadu Braces Up For Mahamaham - The Kumbh Mela Of The South

Thanjavur: Tamil Nadu's Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur district is gearing up for the grand finale of the once-in-12-year festival, the Mahamaham. Next week on Monday, 10 lakh devotees are expected to gather to take a holy dip at the town's Mahamaham tank.

The tank has 20 wells named after the holy rivers in the country. The devotees, who take the dip during this 10-day festival, believe a dip here equals a combined dip in all of rivers.

AGD Paramacharya, the Senior Pontiff at Madurai Adheenam (shrine of lord Shiva) says, "The legend says that by taking bath in the tank on Mahamaham, devotees live prosperously and peacefully in life. This is the prize for a dip in the Mahamaham tank."

Bangalore-based Santhanam and his wife will be participating in Mahamaham for the third consecutive time. The festival, also called 'Kumbh Mela of the South', witnesses devotees from across the country participating in the holy dip.

Ananthapadmanabhan from Pudukottai district said, "The sins that aren't eliminated in Kashi (Varanasi) can be cleansed at Kumbakonam. But, sins committed at Kumbakonam can be washed away only at Kumbakonam."

Uma Shankar, another devotee, said, "It helps calm the souls of our ancestors. This would bring good luck for our children."

In the past, the festival has been attended by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. In 1992, more than 40 people were killed in a stampede when Ms Jayalalithaa then took a dip with aide Sasikala.

This year, however, the state administration has decided to put in place tight security and medical apparatus to manage the number of people that assemble for the holy dip. Twenty thousand police personnel have been deployed for security with forty CCTVs keeping a watch round the clock. A fleet of ambulances and first responder bikes will also be available at the spot for any medical emergencies.

The temple heads have also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ms Jayalalithaa for the big day.