1 lak devotees gathered

Ramanathapuram:Devotees at Rameswaram on the occasion of “Aadi Amavasai” on Sunday.More than one lakh devotees took a holy dip in the water off Rameswaram on the occasion of ‘Aadi Amavasai’ on Sunday.The devotees, who came from different parts of the country and stayed overnight in and around the Ramanathaswamy temple, visited the ‘Agnitheerthakadarkarai’ in the early morning and offered special pujas to their forefathers.

Earlier, the idols of the temple’s presiding deity, Sri Ramanathasamy, and Lord Siva were brought to the Agnitheerthakadarkarai in a procession for special pujas and abhishekams.Some devotees donated cows to the temple.The devotees also visited the temple and took bath in the 22 theerthams.The police said the crowd this year was one of the largest congregations in recent years.Pilgrims, who reached Rameswaram on Saturday night, found it difficult to get rooms, as almost all lodges, hotels and ‘yatriniwas’ were full.Some owners collected exorbitant rents though the lodges had only limited facilities.A huge crowd converged on Dhanushkodi, Muhuntharayarchatram, Sethukarai and Devipattinam for performing ‘pithru puja.’