Chennai: With reverence pervading the atmosphere, the festival of Vinayaga Chaturthi or Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated across Tamil Nadu with exuberance and zeal on Thursday.

Thousands of devotees thronged temples and offered prayers to the elephant-headed Hindu god.

People got up early and gave their homes a festive look with attractive kolams/rangoli outside and hung mango leaf streamers on the doors.

Devotees adorned Ganesha idols made of clay with flowers and made offerings of fruit, sugarcane, millets, holy arugam grass and 'kozhakattais' – a rice flour and jaggery dumpling.

Public celebrations were held in most parts of Chennai, with huge Ganesh idols placed inside decorative marquees. Loudspeakers blared devotional songs.

Special prayers were held at decorated Vinayaga temples across the state.

(IANS)