6 months ago
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Devotees volition not beryllium allowed to ascent the Arunachala Hills adjacent Arunachaleswara temple successful Tiruvannamalai municipality connected the juncture of Maha Deepam connected December 3, 2025, Revenue and wood officials said.
As the Northeast monsoon commenced, the strength of rainfall is expected to summation momentum successful the coming weeks, bringing dense downpour successful the temple town.
Revenue officials said that this volition beryllium the 2nd twelvemonth to prohibition devotees from climbing the hills connected Maha Deepam day. In 2024, the prohibition came into unit aft 7 persons, including children, died successful a landslip that was triggered by cyclone Fengal successful the hills.
Following the landslip incident, an eight-member adept squad of the State government, led by Professor K. Premalatha, Head, Centre for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Anna University, Chennai, climbed the 2,668 feet-high hillock with a squad of police, wood and gross officials to measure the information of the hills. A study was submitted to the State government.
Officials said that information of climbers was taken into information arsenic the terrain connected the hills was inactive bedewed and loose. In October, the State Highways Department demolished a immense boulder, astir 20 tonnes, successful the hillock arsenic officials feared that the stone could autumn owed to rain.
Eviction notice
Tiruvannamalai Corporation has issued eviction notices to 143 families astatine the foothills to guarantee their safety. “The ungraded successful the hills is inactive unstable. Any question of a ample fig of radical volition further loosen soil. Allowing devotees to ascent the hills connected Maha Deepam time has been ruled out,” said a elder wood authoritative connected information of anonymity.
However, the officials further said that a radical of section fishermen who traditionally airy the lamp atop the hills connected the Maha Deepam day, arsenic portion of the Karthigai Deepam festivities, would beryllium allowed to climb. “The ritual of lighting the lamp atop the hills volition proceed arsenic per tradition. We volition cheque peculiar passes issued to them by the Collector to ascent the hills connected that day,” said a wood official.
The fishermen volition transportation a cauldron weighing 175 kg; 750 kg of ghee; 10 kg of camphor; and astir 300 metres of fabric cloth (as the wick) to airy the ‘Kopparai’. The fishermen volition beryllium allowed connected the accepted way they person been trekking during Maha Deepam time for generations.
Earlier, the territory medication utilized to contented peculiar passes to astir 2,500 persons to ascent the hills connected the Maha Deepam day. However, the State Forest Department was against the determination successful the airy of the 2024 landslip. At present, the hills are divided into eastbound and occidental parts, spanning implicit 698.03 hectares. The landslip had occurred connected the eastbound broadside of the hills adjacent the pathway wherever devotees ascent the hills.
