Chennai, Sept 12:
Chennai is all set to wear a festive look as the city gears up to celebrate Vinayaka Chaturthi on Monday, September 14, with temples and neighbourhood shrines getting spruced up and preparations gathering pace across the city.
From busy residential streets to small neighbourhood corners, almost every locality has a Vinayaka temple or shrine, and these are being decorated and illuminated ahead of the festival. Special poojas, abhishekams and annadhanams have been lined up at several temples, with devotees expected to turn up in large numbers on Monday.
The temples are being given a colourful makeover with flowers, decorative materials and bright lights. In several areas, special lighting arrangements are being made around the shrines, adding to the festive atmosphere that has already begun to set in.
The festival fervour is also visible in Chennai’s markets, where the sale of flowers, fruits, pori and other items traditionally offered to Lord Vinayaka has started picking up. Traders expect the rush to increase further over the weekend as families begin their festival shopping.
Flower sales are expected to gain momentum from Sunday evening, when people are likely to make last-minute purchases for poojas at homes and temples. Vendors have stocked up on flowers to meet the expected demand on the eve of the festival.
The sale of clay Vinayaka idols is also set to gather pace. Vendors are expected to begin brisk sales from Sunday evening, with people making a beeline to purchase idols for worship at their homes and in neighbourhood celebrations.
With the festival falling on Monday, markets and temple streets are expected to remain busy through the weekend. For many families, the arrival of the Vinayaka idol, the traditional offerings and the glow of decorated temples will mark the beginning of the festive celebrations across Chennai.