Dussehra Festival In Kulasekarapatnam, A Small Village In TN Attracts 5 Lakhs Devotees

Madurai: Many of us know about the Mysore Dussehra celebrations, but did you know that nearly 5 lakh devotees gather in a small village in Tamil Nadu to celebrate the Dussehra festival?

The Mutharamman Temple in Kulasekarapatnam village (also called Kulasai), Tuticorin district, Tamil Nadu, has the answer for you, where devotees celebrate the Dussehra festival with grandeur.

The temple is famous for its powerful deity, Mutharamman, who is believed to bestow long life on her devotees. During the Dussehra festival, people from all over the state come to Kulasekarapatnam to worship Mutharamman. The festival is marked by a number of special events, including the Kali procession. The male devotees are dressed in terrifying costumes like Ma Kali and go from village to village collecting offerings for Mutharamman.

Devotees who should be fasting for the entire 10 days of Navratri not only wear Ma Kali-like costumes but also various God costumes and ask for offerings from the people. The highlight is that devotees wear different types of costumes, like police, lawyers, monkeys, lions, etc., and receive offerings.

Those who wear Kali-like costumes should fast for 48 days during Dussehra. They only eat vegetarian food on those days. They stay in the temples of their towns and cook by themselves. They take a bath both in the morning and in the evening during the fasting. They observe celibacy and abstinence for these 48 days, suppressing their mind and body.

They wear a very difficult Kali costume with long braided hair, a trident in hand, red paint on their face, black paint if they are black, Kapala mala around their neck, special clothes for it, and long teeth in their mouth.

"Even if you are rich, after dressing up, you should go to the poor house, the house of other castes, and the house of people of other religions and say, Give an offering to Mutharamman..." said a senior devotee to "Oneindia." "Devotees also believe that eating the neem leaves of the temple can cure incurable diseases. The Thirumanjani Prasad offered in this temple is also considered to be very powerful and is believed to cure diseases and bring good luck," he added.

The devotee who takes the offering for 10 days and submits it at her feet is given the boons that should be balanced with the mercy of the mother Ambika. Around 5 lakh devotees are expected to visit the Mutharamman Temple in Kulasekarapatnam during the 10th day of the Dussehra festival, which is Vijayadasami day. Every year, the count of devotees who visit the temple during Navratri is increasing, and the state government is operating special buses from various cities in TN to Kulasai village to manage the crowd. 3000 policemen have been deployed for security.

On Vijayadashami, the goddess procession will take place towards the Chitambareswarar temple complex located on the beach with Mahishasuramarthini Alangaram. Mahishasura Samhara will be held there. When Amman "kills" Mahisasura with a mace, those dressed as Kali should be assembled near the place. After that, the mother will reach the Chitambareshwara temple. Abhishekam and worship will be held there. The next morning, Mother will walk the streets of chariot and bless the devotees. The flag will be lowered after Amman reaches the temple in the evening. Similarly, all the devotees who have tied bracelets before starting their fasting will remove their bracelets.