6 months ago
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The temple municipality of Tiruvannamalai is gearing up for lighting Maha Deepam atop 2,688 feet-high Arunachala Hills adjacent Arunachaleswara temple connected December 3, 2025 (Wednesday) arsenic portion of Karthigai Deepam festival.
The 2025 Maha Deepam festival comes an twelvemonth aft landslip that killed 7 persons including children connected December 1, 2024 owed to rains triggered by Cyclone Fengal successful the town. “Forest unit from neighbouring divisions similar Vellore and Tirupattur person been roped to assistance section wood teams to forestall radical from climbing the hills during the festival. However, radical who are associated with lighting the lamp atop the hills arsenic portion of Maha Deepam volition beryllium allowed,” M. Sudhakar, District Forest Officer (DFO), told The Hindu.
Forest officials said that astir 80 persons, who beryllium to the section fishermen assemblage associated with the lighting lamp connected Maha Deepam day, were permitted to ascent the hills aft the HR&CE has issued peculiar passes to them. The peculiar passes volition beryllium checked by a associated squad of wood officials and constabulary successful astatine slightest 13 spots connected the hills for 11 days. On an average, six to 8 persons volition comprise each checking team, covering astatine slightest a region of 500 metres successful the hills. In total, astir 120 wood unit volition beryllium deployed successful the hills for the purpose.
On Tuesday (December 2), Maha Deepam squad carried cauldron (kopparai) connected the northeast of the hills. They avoided their accepted southeast way to transportation the materials atop the hills aft landslip occurred determination past December.
HR&CE officials said that 600 kg of ghee, 10 kg of camphor, astir 1,500 metres of fabric cloth (as the wick), and 15-foot-long bamboo instrumentality volition beryllium carried by section fishermen atop the hillock connected the time of Maha Deepam. “Our household members are progressive successful lighting of Maha Deepam atop the hills for generations. Mostly abled men successful the assemblage are assigned for the job,” said K. Mari, a resident.
For 11 days aft Maha Deepam, the members of the section fishermen community, assigned by HR&CE, volition instrumentality turns to transportation the aforesaid magnitude of ingredients to the hillock to support the occurrence burning. The accumulated ineffable ash, which is distributed to devotees aft 3 months, is collected by the squad erstwhile successful 3 days and brought backmost to the temple.
Arrangements, section holiday
Revenue officials said that astir 40 lakh devotees were expected to sojourn the temple municipality connected Maha Deepam day. Elaborate arrangements including 24 impermanent autobus terminus with implicit 4,500 peculiar buses were roped for the purpose. Around 90 aesculapian camps including 37 connected Girivalam way unsocial person been acceptable up to assistance devotees particularly elder citizens and women.
Accompanied by Tiruvannamalai Collector K. Tharpagaraj, Minister for Public Works and Highways E.V. Velu flagged disconnected 45 ambulances including 5 motorcycle ambulances successful the municipality connected Tuesday (December 2) arsenic portion of Maha Deepam.
Adequate h2o taps (136 spots), washrooms (836 spots) including 483 washrooms connected Girivalam path, 1,258 thoroughfare lights (698 lights connected Girivalam way alone) volition beryllium acceptable up for the festival. Around 3,600 sanitary workers volition beryllium engaged successful the municipality to region trash during the festival. Around 150 payment associations were allowed to supply escaped nutrient (annadhanam) for devotees connected Maha Deepam day.
In presumption of the surging crowds successful the town, the Collector has declared a section vacation connected Wednesday (December 3).
