Group Of Priest Preparing Themselves Near Floats Carrying Statues Of Deities During Masi Magam Festival,...

The Masi Magam Festival of Pondicherry is celebrated on the full moon day of the Tamil month Masi located between February and March, the main aspect of the festival is the bathing of the deities in the waters of `theerthavari' also called Bay of Bengal; Idols from several temples of the area are brought in the early morning to the seafront near Kuruchikuppam in Pondicherry, they are adorned with a lot of offerings such as flowers or food, then the worshipers give them a ceremonial bath through various rituals; on this particular day of Masi Magam the idols of the deities are immersed in the sea as a symbol of purification, the devotees who flock with the processions, take dips on the holy water of the sea with the faith that the immersion would wash away the sins