Madurai Meenakshi Temple gets New Flag Mast after 150 years Wednesday July 10,2013

The temple city of Madurai witnessed a major religious event on Wednesday July 10,2013 as the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple here got a new flag mast (called kodi maram in Tamil) after a gap of 150 years.

In the presence of thousands of devotees who turned up to witness the sacred ceremony, temple priests performed kumbabhishekam at around 5.45 a.m. for the 56-feet tall flag mast made of high quality teakwood and covered with gold plating. 

Supported by the State Government’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Department and with the contributions from donors, the temple management took steps to replace the old flag mast which lost its strength over the years.

Senthur Pandian, HR and CE Minister, R. Kannan, HR and CE department secretary, P. Dhanapal, commissioner and Karumuttu T. Kannan, Temple Committee Chairman, were among those who attended the kumbhabheshekam. Madurai Corporation Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa and District Collector L.Subramanian also took part in the ceremony. 

Temple historian and former Principal of Thiagarajar College, M. Arunagiri, said that the general belief is that the installation of flag mast staff after such a long period is seen as a good omen for Madurai.