People across Tamil Nadu today celebrated Vinayaka Chaturthi - the celebration of the birth of Lord Ganesha - with religous fervour. Special pujas were performed at various temples across the state. In some temples,'Ganapathy Homam' a ritual seeking peace and prosperity,was performed early in the morning. People offered prayers to the God of knowledge and remover of obstacles and offered him 'kozhukattai',a sweet south Indian dish. Famous temples across Tamil Nadu,including Uchipillayar Temple in Tiruchirapalli and Vinayakar temple in Pillaiyarpatti in Madurai district wore a festive look. At the Uchi Pillayar Temple,a giant 25 kg 'kozhukattai' was offered to the main deity. In some parts of the state,the main deity was taken out in a procession through the streets Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa extended her greetings to the people on the occasion.
