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72 all the gods. Such then is, according to the legend, the origin of this tank and of this festival.

Every orthodox Hindu believes that the holy waters of the Gangés come down to this tank on this occasion. Most of the old Brahmans will say that they observed the goddess. Ganga raise one of her hands from underneath the surface of the water of this sacred tank to announce to the anxious pilgrims her arrival in the tank, and that soon after, a lime fruit, a garland of flowers and a roll of palm leaf were seen floating on the water. The latter are considered to be the signs of the visit of a deity, especially of a female deity. The preliminaries to this festival commence ten days before the Mahamakham day. From distant quarters of India pilgrims flock to Kumbakonam in very large numbers. On the Mahamakham day all the principal idols of Siva in the town march in procession to this tank. Thousands of pilgrims and devotees follow these idols chanting hymns in praise of the holy rivers. When the procession reaches the pillar post near the Nageswara temple one great mass of moving heads is observed from that