TN devotees’ historical flagpole for island fest

The St Antony’s Church festival will commence on Friday evening (February 23) with the traditional flag hoisting ceremony followed by two prayer sessions. On Saturday, a car procession would be held. Altogether, 2103 devotees will travel from the state to Katchatheevu, while over 3,000 persons from Sri Lanka are expected to attend the festival.

Usually, the church flag will be hoisted in an iron pole brought from Sri Lanka. But this year, a special pole made of wood in Kerala is being taken from Rameswaram to the island church for the hoisting of the flag. The flagpole, which is made of teak in Kerala at a cost Rs 2 lakh, measures 40 feet in height and weighs 600 kg.

The flagpole has been made from contributions from devotees and philanthropists and comprises three parts. A boat with the flagpole started its journey to Katchatheevu from Rameswaram on Thursday, before the other boats.

In view of the church festival, fishing has been banned in the region from February 21 to 24. Also, around 20 ships and patrol vessels of the coast guard and marine police have been deployed in the Indian waters to oversee the security and also prevent trespassing attempts.