Thousands marvel annular solar eclipse in southern states

The annular solar eclipse was on Thursday witnessed by scores of people across the southern states, as key temples in the region remained closed during the celestial spectacle and reopened after purification ceremonies.

Annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is unable to entirely cover the disc of the sun even during the maximum eclipse due to factors like its distance from the earth.

During such an eclipse, the outer edge of the sun will still be visible in the form of a ring and that is why it is known as 'ring of fire' or annular solar eclipse, S Soundararajaperumal, Joint Director, Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre, said.

The size of the moon 'diminshes' as it moves away from the earth and if an eclipse occurs at that time, "the moon will not be able to completely cover the surface of the sun," he said.

"This time the moon is at about 3.85 lakh km away from the earth...the earth is also moving closer to the sun.. it is closer to sun during winter. And the apparent size of the sun also increases.

So due to these reasons the moon is unable to entirely cover the disc of the sun which results in annular solar eclipse," he told PTI.

Many temples in south India including the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Kerala, Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh and Lord Ramanathaswamy shrine in Tamil Nadu were closed in line with the rituals.

In Tamil Nadu, the annular solar eclipse was visible from Udhagamandalam to Puthukottai, while it was a partial one in Chennai, Soundararajaperumal said.

The Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple at Palani and Sri Ramanatha Swamy temple at Rameswaram remained closed during the eclipse, before they were opened for devotees after purification ceremonies.

Several skygazers turned up at designated spots in various locations to witness the eclipse, which was was well visible to people living in various parts of the state including Chennai and Madurai even as reports reaching from Coimbatore and Erode said cloud cover in that region hampered visibility.

In Kerala, the rare spectacle was first visible at Cheruvathur in Kasaragod followed by places in Kozhikode and Kannur.

In Wayanad, many people turned up to watch the last eclipse of the year, but had to return disappointed as it was not fully visible due to cloudy conditions.

A young boy in Kalpetta said he was saddened as he could not witness the eclipse totally.

"We came here with lot of expectations. But are disappointed," he said.

A man, who had come from a Gulf nation on vacation, said he was very happy to have witnessed the celestial spectacle along with his children at Kozhikode.

Seventy-year-old Annama Thomas from Kuravilangad in Kottayam was elated that she could witness the rare occasion.

Long queues were seen in various places in the state to witness the natural phenomenon.

To dispel superstitious beliefs that food should not be consumed during eclipse, payasams, biscuits, juices and breakfast were distributed to those who had come to watch the celestial event.

Various temples in Kerala, including the famous Sabarimala temple, Padmanabha Swamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram and the Lord Krishna temple at Guruvayur were closed during the solar eclipse were opened after purification rites.

In the northern most district of Kasaragod, a private operator totally stopped bus service on a particular route during the eclipse.

In Kottayam, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram districts, the eclipse was said to be partial.

The famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati remained closed since Wednesday night on account of the annular solar eclipse and reopened on Thursday after a special purificatory ceremony.

AV Ramana Dikshithulu, Agama Advisor of the hill shrine, told PTI that after performing a minor special purificatory ceremony and recitation of ongoing Danurmasa Tiruppavai stanza of Sri Andal at the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, the devotees were permitted.

In Karnataka's Kalaburagi district, four children were buried in mud that allegedly contained some amount of dung waste, by their parents,as part of the "superstitious belief" that disabilities will be cured by doing so, during the eclipse.

Police and district administration officials visited the spot, even as the father of one of the children said they followed what their elders had said in this connection.

Similar practice had been reported from the region in the past too during a solar eclipse but their number have come down, officials said.

Elsewhere in Bengaluru, poor visibility due to overcast conditions dampened the spirits of enthusiasts, who had been anxiously awaiting the celestial event.

Several shops and hotels were shut during the eclipse and streets wore a deserted look, with many remaining indoors, as it was considered inauspicious to venture out.

However, other parts of the state like Mangaluru, Dharwad, Belagavi and Karwar among other places had better visibility.