Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu), Oct 14 (Agency) Lakhs of devout Hindus on Saturday paid obeisance to their forebears and performed “tarpanam” at various sacred ghats and water bodies across Tamil Nadu on the occasion of “Mahalaya Amavasya.” While all new moon days were reserved for remembering the forefathers, the Mahalaya Amavasya that falls in the Tamil month of “Purattasi” is considered a highly auspicious day for performing oblations to the ancestors. Cooked rice, fruits, vegetables, and black sesame seeds were offered to the departed souls as part of the Tarpana rituals. Mahalaya Amavasya was observed with great reverence on the holy island of Rameswaram. Over three lakh people from various parts of the country thronged “Agni Theertha Kadarkarai” (seashore) and propitiated the departed souls on the occasion. Special poojas were performed at the renowned Sri Ramanatha Swamy Temple here.
The idols of Lord Shiva, Lord Rama, and Goddess Seetha were taken in a traditional procession from the temple to the sea, where special rituals were performed for the deities. Reports said thousands of people thronged the banks of the River Cauvery at religiously significant Ammamandapam bathing ghats in Srirangam and paid their oblations. Similarly, thousands of people converged at the famous ‘Triveni Sangamam’ (confluence of the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean) in Kanyakumari, the banks of the River Vaigai and Tamiraparani in Madurai and Tirunelveli districts, the Poompuhar seashore in Nagapattinam district, Danushkodi, Sethukarai, Devipattinam, Muhuntharayarchatram in Ramanathapuram district, and elsewhere since early in the morning and conducted Pithru Poojas.