India, Aug. 12 -- Thousands of persons gathered at beaches, river banks and water bodies across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, August 12, to perform the traditional ancestral rituals "pitru tharpanam" on "Aadi Ammavasai", the new moon day, to honor their departed.

Major holy sites like Rameswaram and Kanyakumari, besides Chennai coastal areas and the Cauvery and Thamirabarani river banks saw huge crowds performing the rituals.

Astrologers clarified that a solar eclipse occurred on Wednesday at late night Indian Standard Time (IST) and was not visible in India especially in Tamil Nadu, posing no ritual restrictions for locals.

Tourism department sources said that at the "Agni Theertham" beach in Rameswaram, thousands of pilgrims from various ...