The festival had began a week or so earlier, idols of Lord Vishnu and his consort Laksmi are brought by their temple Brahmins from all over Tamil Nadu to reside for a period in the main temple with the main idol. Tonight is the end of this period and the idols with much pageant and splendour are carried reverently out of the main temple, by Brahmins and make their way through the temples grounds and further onto the streets of Kanchipuram accompanied by chants and incense back to their own temples.