Chennai, February 15 Lakhs of devotees across Tamil Nadu celebrated Maha Shivaratri with traditional fervor at Shaivite shrines on Sunday, with major gatherings reported in Chennai, Thanjavur, and Coimbatore.
The festivities will continue into the early hours of Monday.
At the historic Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore here, a diverse crowd of pilgrims, including international tourists and students, queued for hours to offer prayers.
A visiting foreign national expressed her excitement at the vibrant atmosphere, describing the temple as magnificent and the occasion as a lucky opportunity to witness Indian spiritual traditions.
"We've just arrived at your magnificent temple and can't wait to go inside and see what it's all about," she told news agency PTI Videos, adding that the day was "fantastic" and "very colourful."
In a press note issued by Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore, it is stated that the Mahashivaratri celebrations at its premises on Sunday night will be attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan as well as Union Minister Suresh Gopi.
The event, added the press release, will be livestreamed with sign language interpretation.
Similar fervor was seen at the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, where devotees flocked for a glimpse of the deity throughout the day.
In the pilgrimage town of Rameswaram, thousands of devotees thronged the Ramanathaswamy temple for the auspicious darshan.
Following the traditional ritual, pilgrims took a holy dip in the sea at Agni Theertham and bathed at the 22 sacred wells within the temple complex before offering prayers to the Jyotirlinga.
The Ramanathapuram district administration made elaborate arrangements to manage the massive influx of pilgrims, ensuring basic amenities and security for the seafront gatherings.
The spiritual atmosphere was equally palpable in Vellore, where thousands of devotees gathered at the Sri Jalakandeeswarar Temple located inside the Vellore Fort.
A significant highlight was the 1008 Shankabhishekam, a sacred ritual involving the offering of water from over a thousand conches, performed amid Vedic chants.
Reflecting the pan-Indian appeal of the festival, Vasu, a student from Punjab, said he had come specifically to take darshan of Lord Shiva.
Another student from VIT College, originally from Kerala, shared her joy in participating in the Shivaratri rituals in Chennai.
While many planned for the night-long jagran, some devotees chose to visit early to avoid the Monday morning rush.
"Tomorrow is a working day, so if we wait for the night, it will be a problem for the office. That's why we are visiting two or three temples today on Sunday," a local devotee at Kapaleeshwarar temple told
The celebrations also marked the commencement of the Natyanjali festival in Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Ariyalur, where classical dancers performed as a tribute to the cosmic dancer.
State authorities and police departments ensured smooth crowd management across these major heritage sites.