Photos taken at start of 'ther' procession

It was close to 9 a.m. when the chariot carrying the Lord moved out of the shed this Thursday morning. We got a nice perch close to the top and shot the photo that you see here, featured first. It gives a grand view of the hundreds of devotees who chose to gather here from 8 a.m. to see the 'ther' move after the rituals were performed.

The slow summer heat began to grow even as the chariot moved into East Mada Street. People on balconies and terraces on the adjoining buildings sprinkled cold water on the devotees and some threw water sachets for the folks below to quench their thirst.

As the ther rolled past the Pitchu Pillai and the Chitrakulam junction and got into South Mada Street, the busy haunt of vegetable hawkers and shoppers of this area the veedhi was jam packed as the 3rd photo here shows. It was about 10 a.m. then.