Draped in colourful saris, devotees of the Shri Anantha Muthumariamman Temple in New Modder flooded the streets on August 2 in celebration of the annual Aadi Muthumariamman fire walking festival.

From early morning, pots filled with traditional South Indian vegetarian dishes simmered over the coals as devotees gathered in Unity Avenue to seek blessings from the Divine Mother and Goddess of Healing, Shri Anantha Muthumariamman.

Through prayer and Kavadi Aattam—a skin-piercing ritual of penance—devotees formed a procession through the suburb before entering the temple in support of more than 20 individuals preparing to undertake the fire-walking ritual.

As devotional drumming and singing, led by Kevin Pillay, echoed across the temple grounds, families and visitors from across Gauteng brought offerings and joined in prayer, creating a powerful display of faith and devotion.

The vibrant festival concluded with the sharing of the feast, while non-Hindu members of the community were invited to relish the bounty of the day’s food.

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