
A few lakh of devotees from across the country witnessed the procession.Church sources said the star at the top of the Car, resting on a golden crown, signified the name of Our Lady as the Star of the Sea (Stella Maris). “The star illuminates the world, warms the minds, increases virtues and destroy wickedness.”The star symbolised five prerogatives of ‘Our Divine Mother:’ her divine motherhood, her immaculate conception, her perpetual virginity, as a channel of divine grace and as the gate of heaven.The golden crown on which the star was fixed highlighted the fact that the ‘blessed virgin’ was crowned as the queen of heaven and earth.The police provided tight security around the Basilica and all along the procession.About 700 police personnel from Tuticorin and neighbouring districts were deployed.A 15-member swift action force team, under the direct supervision of Superintendent of Police Deepak Motibhai Damor, patrolled the area in motorcycles.