'Koda' festival begins at famed Mandaikadu temple in Kanniyakumari district

KANNIYAKUMARI: The 10-day-long 'Koda' festival commenced on Sunday at the famed Bhagavathy temple at Mandaikadu near here with the 'Kodiyettu' (flag hoisting) ceremony, which was witnessed by thousands of devotees from different parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Rituals were performed by temple priests amid chanting of "Amme Saranam, Devi Saranam" by the pilgrims. The legendary Koda, the highpoint of the annual festival, will take place on March 11 and lakhs of devotees from various regions of Tamil Nadu and the southern parts of Kerala are expected to take part.

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and former Kerala Minister V S Sivakumar were among a host of dignitaries who attended the rituals culminating in the hoisting of the temple flag at 8.30 am, a press release said.

"Valiyapadukka," a major mid-night ritual of the festival, will be performed on March 7 and the procession of "Valiya Theevatti" on March 10, before the festival concludes with the “Odukku Pooja” at midnight on March 11.

Meanwhile, the 88th annual Hindu Maha Sammelan also commenced on March 2, alongside the festival. Tamil Nadu and Kerala authorities have ensured deployment of adequate number of buses.

The Mandaikadu Devi temple is situated on the Arabian sea coast near Colachel of the erstwhile Travancore princely state. Despite being located in Tamil Nadu's Kanniyakumari district, the temple rituals and its festivals are conducted as per the Kerala traditions.