As part of the grand preparations for the upcoming Maha Shivaratri celebrations at the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore, the Adiyogi Rath Yatra, jointly organized by the Thenkailaya Bhakti Peravai and renowned traditional Adheenams of Tamil Nadu, reached Madurai yesterday (December 25, 2025). The yatra will travel across the southern districts of Tamil Nadu over the next two months, covering several revered Paadal Petra Siva Sthalams.
Maha Shivaratri will be celebrated in a grand manner at Isha on February 15. The Rath Yatra is conducted annually to invite devotees to participate in the festival and to enable those unable to visit Coimbatore to have darshan of Adiyogi in their own towns and villages.
This year, four Adiyogi Rathas are traversing the four directions of Tamil Nadu, flagged off by heads of prominent Adheenams. The southern zone Rath Yatra was inaugurated on December 23 at Mayiladuthurai by the 27th Guru Mahasannidhanam of Dharmapuram Adheenam, Sri La Sri Masilamani Desika Gnanasambanda Paramacharya Swamigal. After passing through Theni, the ratha arrived in Madurai, where it will travel through the city and surrounding areas till December 27.
In Madurai, the ratha will pass through key localities including Madurai Junction, Anna Nagar and B.B. Kulam, and will also visit renowned temples such as Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Thiruparankundram, Thiruvedagam, Sellur Thiruvappudaiyar and Thiruppuvanam Pushpavaneswarar.
Subsequently, the yatra will continue through Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts. Each specially designed ratha carries a seven-foot-tall Adiyogi idol. Collectively, the four rathas are expected to cover over 30,000 km, passing through more than 1,000 villages and 250 Paadal Petra Siva temples before concluding on Mahashivaratri.