Religious fervour, creativity, colossal offerings mark Vinayaka Chaturthi celebration in Tamil Nadu

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Vijayaka Chaturthi installations in Korukkupet, Chennai. | Photo Credit: B. Jyoti Ramalingam

A divine aroma of flowers, fresh banana leaves, and steaming jaggery filled the air across Tamil Nadu on Monday, as millions of families brought home clay idols of Lord Ganesha to mark Vinayaka Chaturthi.

From bustling home pujas to grand heritage temple rituals and towering neighborhood pandals, the state resonated with chants of "Pillayar" - the most affectionate and commonly used Tamil name for Ganesh, and devotional music.

The devotees queued at dawn outside the state’s iconic shrines for special Maha Abhishekams and elaborate floral adornments (Alankarams).

At the historic Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Chennai, festivities began with a early-morning Ganapathy Homam. The Narthana Vinayagar idol was anointed with holy water, milk, sandalwood, and honey before being dressed in a glittering gold kavacham (armor), drawing thousands to the flower-lined Mada streets.

In Madurai, the spotlight fell on the colossal 7-foot monolithic Mukkuruni Vinayakar inside the renowned Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple. Continuing centuries-old traditions, the temple priests prepared and offered a single, massive 'Mukkuruni Kozhukattai' - sweet rice-flour dumpling - on the occasion.

Adding to the joy, devotees and temple priests welcomed Durga, a five-year-old elephant who made her festive debut with a grand flower-showering ceremony. She was relocated from Assam recently. The temple takes care of an older resident elephant named Parvathi.

Thousands of devotees climbed 417 steep steps to reach the 7th-century Ucchi Pillayar Temple in Tiruchirappalli, located atop the 273-foot Rockfort. The hill-top shrine launched its 14-day Peruvizha festival, kicking off celebrations by offering a mammoth 25 kg Kozhukattai to the deity.

Chennai too joined the festival celebrations with traditional devotion blended seamlessly with local pop culture. Neighborhood pandals across Triplicane, Mylapore, and other parts of Chennai unveiled eye-catching idols showcasing creative themes ranging from mythological epics to popular cinema characters.

At Eral in Tuticorin district, the devotees put up a replica of the Tirupparankundram temple deepathoon (stone pillar) with Ganesh lighting the lamp, expressing the devotees wish to light the Karthigai deepam atop the ancient deepathoon at the controversial site near a Dargah.

At Puliakulam in Coimbatore, special poojas and alankaras marked the Chaturthi festival at the Sri Arulmigu Mundhi Vinayagar temple where the deity of the Lord is 19 feet 10 inches high, 11 feet 10 inches wide, and weighs a monumental 190 tonnes. The idol is made out of a monolithic granite stone.

The deity was decorated with 50 kg sandalwood paste on the occasion.

A temple elephant joined the procession taken out as part of the Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations in Rameswaram.

In Cuddalore, a 74 kg laddu Vinayagar was consecrated at a sweet shop while a section of devotees in Thenkanikottai installed a grand Vinayakar stage based on the movie Kantara-2 as theme.

An idol of Ganesh made with 51,000 rudraksha beads in Tiruvannamalai was also among the numerous attractions this year.

As part of the public celebrations, the Hindu Munnani commenced the installation of about 1.5 lakh Ganesha idols statewide following morning Sthapana rituals. In Chennai alone, 5,501 public installations took place across Valluvar Kottam, Triplicane, North Chennai, and Kottivakkam areas.

Organisers confirmed that public idols, crafted primarily by traditional artisans in Ernavur, strictly utilised eco-friendly natural materials in compliance with environmental regulations.

To maintain public order and safeguard the coastal ecosystem, the Greater Chennai Police deployed 16,500 personnel alongside 500 Home Guards to oversee the 1,562 officially approved public idols in the capital.

The grand immersion processions (Visarjan) are scheduled for the upcoming weekend, peaking on September 19 and 20. Following directives from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to protect marine ecology, traditional drop-offs at Pattinapakkam and Neelankarai beaches remain restricted. Instead, authorities have mapped out 17 strict procession routes leading to designated water bodies including Kasimedu Fishing Harbour (North Chennai), Thiruvottriyur (Behind the weighing machine), and Srinivasapuram.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and leaders of various political parties greeted the people on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi on Monday.

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