The annual festival, Thiruvizha, of the iconic Nallur Kandasamy Kovil in Jaffna began today with the ceremony for hoisting of the deity's flag.
The 25 day long festival annually sees thousands of Saivite devotees and tourists from across the island as well as the Tamil diaspora flock to Jaffna, with the main event, the chariot festival or ther thiruvizha, scheduled for August 25.