Over 160 special buses for Karthigai Deepam

To ensure that devotees are able to witness this annual event, Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) plans to operate a total of 160 special buses from various parts of Vellore district to Tiruvannamalai from December 1 to December 3, officials said. The buses will be operated from Vellore, Tirupattur and Arcot, they added. The district administration had announced the locations of temporary bus terminals at 11 locations to enable devotees reach the temple from various places, last week.

The festivities start, officially, with the flag hoisting at 4am on the golden flag mast in the temple on Thursday. While the guardian deity Pidariamman was taken around the streets on Tuesday evening, the deity, Sri Vinayagar was taken around important streets on Wednesday, temple officials stated.

After the celebrations start officially, various deities would be taken around the various important streets on Thursday. Officials said that such processions would enable devotees to witness them without having to be at the temple, bursting at the seams with thousands of devotees