Christians thronged the famous Shrine Basilica at Vailankanni in Nagapattinam district to celebrate Easter, while the faithful congregated in large
numbers at other churches in Tamil Nadu.
The special feature of the festival at Vailankanni is that pilgrims from other states carrying huge wooden crosses arrive on foot and participate in the prayers, church officials said.
Thousands of pilgrims from various parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra participated in special prayers at midnight to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
Prayers in all south Indian languages commenced early this morning, church officials said.
In Chennai and other places in Tamil Nadu, the festival was celebrated with traditional piety.