The famous ‘Aani’ car festival of Swami Nellaiyappar temple was held on Sunday, drawing thousands of devotees from various parts of Tirunelveli district and neighbouring districts.

Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister S. Ramesh and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister P. Mathan Raja inaugurated the festival.

Following special prayers and puja in the early morning, the idols were taken to their respective temple cars. A total of five cars, including that of the presiding deity were taken in procession, which were drawn from around 7:35 a.m.

The 85-foot-tall Swamy car weighing around 450 tonnes was drawn along the four car streets amid the resonant chants of “Om Nama Shivaya”, by the devotees and reached its base around 6:55 p.m.

The annual festival commenced with a flag hoisting ceremony on June 20. The car festival was held on the 9th day of the celebrations and 10-day festival will conclude on Monday (June 29).

Ahead of the festival over 1,200 police personnel were deployed for the security arrangements. Mobile toilets and parking facilities were arranged for the devotees coming from various parts of the district. Since the encroachments along the car streets had been removed and roadside shops were permitted to operate only after the procession, the event proceeded smoothly without any hindrance.