The District Collector of Thiruvannamalai has announced that the devotees are banned from undertaking girivalam (Traditionally, the devotees undertake a walking trip around the bottom of the sacred Thiruvannamalai Mountain and then have Darshan of the Lord Arunachaleswarar) during the Full Moon Day (Pournami) occasion in the Tamil Calendar Month of Margazhi on 18th & 19th December@!
One of the 63 Saivite Nayanmars, Manickavassagar’s festival was celebrated at the Thiruvannamalai temple of Lord Arunachaleswarar. The idol of the Nayanmar Manickavasagar was taken on a procession on the corridor streets of the temple at Thiruvannamalai.
The deities of Lord Nataraja and His Consort Goddess Sivakamsundari were adorned especially for this occasion and Deeparadhanai was performed.
Following the hugely popular and grand festival of the ‘Maha Deepam’ at the Thiruvannamalai temple of Lord Arunachaleswarar, special Poojas were performed for the container on which the Maha Deepam was lit, known as ‘Maha Deepam Copra’ at the Thiruvannamalai Lord Annamalaiyar (Arunachaleswarar) temple!
The grand Maha Deepam festival at the Lord Arunachaleswarar temple at Thiruvannamalai was perfumed with traditional grandeur and devotion for 10 days and concluded with the Maha Deepam lighting on 24th November.
Subsequently, the holy penance (prayachitham) water was taken to the top of the mountain and the holy penance water was sprayed on the feet of the Lord Annamalaiyar.
