Kulasekarapattinam Mutharamman Temple celebrates Dussehra festival

The annual Dussehra festival at the Arulmigu Mutharamman Temple in Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu, has reached its peak with the grand Mahishasura Samharam ritual. The event, which began on October 11, involves the deity appearing in various forms over ten days to bless devotees.

The climactic Mahishasura Samharam ceremony took place at midnight on the beach, where the goddess was depicted slaying the demon Mahishasura in multiple forms, including lion, buffalo, and rooster. The ritual drew hundreds of thousands of devotees, many of whom traveled from across South India to witness the procession.

To manage the massive influx of people, which can reach up to 1.2 million visitors during the 11-day period, local authorities deployed over 4,000 police personnel and installed hundreds of CCTV cameras. Infrastructure measures include the provision of hundreds of temporary toilets, additional cleaning staff, and the construction of new roads to facilitate crowd movement and traffic management.