Ban on ‘Chithra Pournami’ Girivalam in Thiruvannamalai!

The District administration of Thiruvannamalai has decided to ban the devotees from undertaking ‘girivalam’ (a round trip around the mountain base) on the holy occasion fo ‘Chithra pournami’ (The Full Moon Day in the Tamil calendar month of Chithirai) which falls on 6th May.

Traditionally, in Thiruvannamalai temple, after the most prominent and world-famous ‘Deepam Festival’ (in the Tamil calendar month of Karthigai – Full Moon Day) when lakhs of devotees assemble to have a Darshan of the Karthigai Deepam and the Darshan of Lord Aruncaheleswarar and His Consort Unnamulaiyamman, the next in the holy occasion list is the Chithra Pournami when over 15 lakhs of devotees have Darshan Lord Aruncaheleswarar and His Consort Unnamulaiyamman after undertaking ‘girivalam’!

This year’s Chitra Pournami occasion commences at 7.01 PM on 6th May and concludes at 5.51 PM on 7th May.

In this situation, the district administration had banned undertaking girivalam on this year’s occasion of undertaking girivalam on the full Mood Day in the Tamil calendar month of Panguni as a preventive measure against the raging coronavirus pandemic.

In a similar step, it has banned undertaking girivalam during the full moon day in the Tamil calendar month of Chithirai, known as ‘Chithre pournami’!

A letter has been sent by the district administration to the State Government of Tamil Nadu seeking approval of this ban.