Meenakshi temple festival cancelled

Madurai: The Aavani Moola festival of the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple will be cancelled this year due to the Covid-19-induced lockdown. Executive officer of the temple, K Chelladurai, said that the Aavani Moola festival was scheduled to be held from August 15 to September 1 this year.
Many of these rituals require the deities to be taken out of the temple and carried in processions to various parts of the city.But since the temple is closed to the public and it is against the Covid-19 protocol to take the deities around in processions, the festival stands cancelled. However, special poojas and rituals would be held twice a day within the sanctum sanctorum , Chelladurai said.