madurai a musical festival was conducted in the heart of madurai bridge near the centuryold a v bridge on friday to propitiate the rain gods and ensure that the vaigai river flows copiously in the ensuing seasons elsewhere in the villages around madurai similar rituals are being performed for the same cause as the state battles one of its worst droughtsrituals were being performed at many of the major temples in the southern districts on the directions of the hr and ce department with priests reciting hymns to invoke the blessings of the rain gods as rains are the only solution to the water crisis threatening the districts there are hymns like those recited during varuna jabam which are believed to bring rain pujas have been performed many times during droughts said a priest at the sri meenakshi sundareswarar templewith the summer turning unbearable this season people have been resorting to old and traditional methods to make sure it rains rain is something that cannot be made by man so praying for it and maintaining the environment seem to be the only solution said s saraswathy who came to watch the musical show on the banks of vaigai the principal of tamil nadu government music college madurai david and music teacher savithiri coordinated the performance in which many of their students sang there is a raga for the propitiation of rain gods and many a time there have been incidents of rain pouring down after such performances said the coordinator of vaigai nathi makkal iyakkam m rajan one of the organizers of the eventpeople in the villages have also been performing special rituals to ensure that it rains a few days ago the people of thiruparankundram and surrounding villages conducted a fruitoffering festival to the deity of utchikaruppanaswamy temple in their region it is the custom of this temple that only men offer worship and women do not participate in the rituals offering fruits like banana mango and jackfruit to the deity in may is said to bring a good harvest hundreds of men came in a procession and offered the fruits in a pile to the deity we can eat as much as we want after the rituals but are not allowed to take the fruits home said d suresh a residentsimilarly on thursday at the festival of the veerakaliamman temple in valayapatti near melur seven young girls were taken in a procession to the veloothu tank they collected water in pots and carried it on their heads this water was used to cook pongal and it was dissolved in the tank without anybody eating it this tank is a source of livelihood for us and we believe that when we keep it happy by offering pongal it will continue to provide for us and ensure a good harvest said kannathal a villager many more rituals for rain will be conducted in the next two months during the temple festival held in the tamil months of aani and aadi