Devotees are prohibited from climbing the hill on the day of Mahadeepam in Tiruvannamalai.
Tamil Nadu: The district administration announced on Saturday that it will prohibit devotees from climbing the hill on the day of Mahadeepam, the main event of the Tiruvannamalai Karthigai Deepam festival, which takes place on December 3rd.
The famous Karthigai Deepam festival at the Arunachaleswara Temple in Tiruvannamalai began with the flag hoisting ceremony on the 24th. The main event will be the lighting of the Bharani Deepam at the Arunachaleswara Temple on the morning of December 3rd, followed by the Mahadeepam ceremony on the 2,668-foot-high hill behind the temple that evening.
Last year, Cyclone Fanjal caused heavy rains, triggering landslides on the hill behind the Arunachaleswara Temple, resulting in loss of life and property. Following this, devotees were not allowed to climb the hill due to the lack of proper protection measures.
An orange alert for very heavy rain has currently been issued for the Tiruvannamalai district due to Cyclone Titwa.
In this context, the Geological Survey of India’s Expert Committee report states that the mountaineering route remains unstable and that there are many loose rocks in the middle areas where landslides have already occurred.
Therefore, based on the storm warning and the Expert Committee’s report, for the safety of devotees, permission to climb the Tiruvannamalai mountain is temporarily suspended this year.
Devotees should fully cooperate with this step taken by the district administration for safety reasons and refrain from climbing the mountain.
The district administration has stated that the police, forest department, and revenue department have been instructed to take necessary precautions and monitor the mountaineering route.
