Tiruvannamalai Arunachaleshwara Swamy temple is one among the Pancha Bhoota Stalam. Every year Karthigai Deepam festival is celebrated for 10 days. This year also the festival commenced with flag hoisting on 16th. Every day morning Lord Vinayagar and Lord Chandrasekarar are taken in procession through the streets. The most important function of Karthigai Deepam is lighting the Maha Deepam tomorrow at 6 P M which is located on the hills whose height is 2668 feet.
This festival occurs when the moon is seen fully in the sky. Karthigai Deepam is celebrated during Purnima or full moon day when the moon is in line with the six star constellations called Karthigai. People believe that Lord Shiva appeared in Tiruvannamalai hills on this day and the people like to commemorate the situation by lighting a huge fire on the top of the hill. Ghee and camphor are used to light the huge fire to set up connection to God directly.
Since the Maha Deepam is being lighted tomorrow, the temple will be opened very early morning. Special Panchamoorthi Abhishekam will take place. After this Deeparadhana ritual will take place. After this at 4 A M, Bharani Deepam will be lit in the Sancta Sanctorum at Artha Mandapam. In the evening Panchamoorthis will appear before the Sancta Sanctorum. Exactly at 6 PM Lord Arthanareeswara who will appear only once in a year to the public will make his appearance to the devotees near the flag post.
When Lord Arthanareeswara appears at 6 PM, the Aganda Deepam will be lit before the Sancta Sanctorum. Simultaneously the Maha Deepam will also be lit on the hill top. Lakhs of devotees from across the state would perform Girivalam then.
Southern Railway will operate unreserved special trains between Chennai and Tiruvannamalai on November 24 and 25 in view of the Karthigai Deepam festival.
TNSTC Tiruvannamalai region said that the corporation would operate 2,100 special buses from different places for the festival. Around 120 staff would be deployed for guiding passengers.
Police department has conveyed that they would depute about 9,000 police personnel of different ranks for the festival from across the districts. He said that devotees can make use of huge parking lot available with the Railways for a pay and railway medical team and first aid team would also be in service in Tiruvannamalai on November 25.
Forest department officials said that they would employ 17 teams on the hill to prevent fire. They would provide three tier screening of devotees who climb the hill.
They also said that they want to prevent devotees who climb the hill from taking selfie pictures with Maha Deepam and upload them in social media.
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