More than 1.5 lakh devotees, including women and children, participated in the famous annual 'Kundam' festival at Bannari Amman Temple near Sathyamangalam in Erode district on Tuesday. Thousands of people, including top political leaders, walked over the sacred bed of lit charcoal on the occasion of the festival. The ritual began at 3.40am and went on till 6pm.
The ritual was held as part of the Bannari Amman Temple festival that began on March 7 with floral offerings to both Bannari Amman and Sarugu Mariamman. The very next day both the goddesses were taken to all important villages, including Sikkarasampalayam, Velliyampalayam, Kotthamangalam, Thottampalayam and Sathyamangalam town. "The goddesses will return to the temple in the first week of April," temple authorities said.
The famous 'Kundam' ritual was held on Tuesday after the temple chief priest, K Rajasekaran, entered the 'poo kundam'. Devotees waited in queue to walk on the bed of fire. State environmental minister 'Thoppu' R Venkatachalam and Tirupur MP Sathyabama were in the front row of the queue and walked on the bed of lit charcoal soon after the temple chief priest entered the 'poo kundam'. Women carrying their children were also seen walking on the fire bed.
A large number of devotees from neighbouring states such as Karnataka and Kerala also participated in the festival. The district and temple administrations had arranged for special buses to help devotees participate in the ritual. Over 300 devotees, who walked on the bed of lit charcoal, received burn injuries. Volunteers rushed them to the government hospital in Sathyamangalam.
