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Lakhs of devotees gathered at the Nagore Dargah in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, to celebrate the Kanduri festival on Monday night.
The festival began yesterday in Nagapattinam district with a grand flag hoisting. Thousands of people transcending across religions participated in the grand flag-hoisting ceremony of the Kanduri festival, offering prayers to Nagore Andavar. Devotees from not only Tamil Nadu but also from abroad and other states travel to Nagore to experience this festival. Visuals from the spot showed elaborate lighting, parades and grand tableaus on the streets. Hundreds of people were seen flocking to the dargah at night. The 14-day Kandhuri Festival, also known as the Nagore Dargah Festival, is celebrated from the first to the fourteenth day of saint Shahul Hamid's death anniversary during the Islamic month of Jamathul Aagir. Saint Hazrath Syed Shahul Hamid was the revered 13th-generation descendent of Saint Sufi. He achieved wider recognition for treating the physical illness of Thanjavur's 16th-century Hindu king Achuthappa Nayak. This historic significance allures the peculiar participation of Hindu devotees during the Kandhuri Festival. The festival's opening day is commemorated by the hoisting of a sacred flag, which is then carried by chariots to the Nagore Dargah. From the second to the seventh day, holy saints read the Quran along with various prayers. The devotees flock to the Dargah to witness the Light of Allah which is displayed in the Dargah. On the eighth day, the Kandhuri Festival's fireworks display is one of its many attractions. The fireworks have two purposes- first, to enhance the festive atmosphere, and second, to represent how truth drives away falsehood. On the ninth day of Jamaidul Akhir, the Fakirs visit the site of Hazarath Mohsin meditation site called the "Peer Mandapam". On this occasion, the devotees start a holy fast for the next three days. On the tenth day, a parade-like chariot ride carrying sandalwood paste is organised. The Rawla Shariff and the Great Saint's tomb will then be anointed with the auspicious paste as it is brought inside the premises. The fast that was initiated on the ninth day of the festival is ended by the devotees on the eleventh day. The Al Quran's message is recited throughout the 14 days, and its blessings are given to the Great Soul. Syed Mohamed Khalifa Sahib , President, Nagore Dargah committee said on "On the (December) 15th, there is also a function to lower the flag after the namaaz (prayers)." The flags and lights are taken down after the conclusion of the Kandhuri Festival, leaving only the spiritual light of the Nagore Dargah. (ANI)
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