A Ganesh idol is brought for Vinayak Chaturthi celebrations (Press Trust of India)
Vinayaka Chathurthi was celebrated across Tamil Nadu today with spiritual fervour and traditional gaiety.
People offered prayers in their homes with the traditional clay-made idols besides worshipping Ganesha in temples and pandals set up by residents and Hindu groups.
Hailed as remover of obstacles, Lord Ganesha was offered "Kozhukattai", a sweet dish made with jaggery and coconut in keeping with the tradition by the people.
Special prayer sessions and a "Theerthavari" (sprinkling of holy waters after pujas for deity in temple tank) marked the grand celebrations at the ancient Sri Karpaga Vinayaka Temple in Pillayarpatti in Sivaganga district.
A rock-cut temple belonging to the early Pandya (5th Century AD) period, the temple is dedicated to Ganesha and is the oldest shrine for the elephant-headed God in Tamil Nadu.
Similarly, grand celebrations were held in the Rock FortUchi Pillayar temple atop the hill in Tiruchirappali.
A huge sized 'Kozhukattai' was brought atop the hill by temple personnel in a specially made cloth-container hung from bamboos. Thousands of people offered prayers in Pillayarpatti and Rock Fort temples.
The celebrations also saw over 2,000 Ganesha pandals put by many organisations including the Hindu Munnani across Tamil Nadu.
Local residents welfare associations had also put up Ganesh pandals.
The festivity also witnessed use of technology for furthering spiritualism.
In a Ganesha expo-pandal at suburban Selaiyr near Chennai, a huge Ganesha idol attracted a lot of devotees as it had moving arms and head with a music system playing slokas in the background.