Deepam festival to be a low-key affair in Tiruvannamalai temple this year

A senior official said “similar to the ‘Soora Samharan’ festivities being conducted within the temple premises at Tiruchendur, Karthigai deepam will also be conducted within the temple premises.

“All Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) as being followed by devotees will be enforced strictly with around 5000 devotees being allowed inside the temple daily on the festival days.”

Revealing that the procedures to be followed had been communicated to top brass in the HR&CE department in Chennai, officials on condition of anonymity said: “the 24-acre temple precincts has enough space to accommodate the crowd on the days preceding the deepams being lit on the final day.”

What devotees anticipated was worshipping the deities when they are taken on “Veedhi Ulaa” both in the mornings and evenings on the ten days.

“Not only would crowd control become problematic, devotees darting in between for darshan would also lead to unnecessary confrontations which officials want to avoid” officials revealed.

Hence plans are afoot to conduct the ‘Veedhi ulaa’ in the fifth pragaram itself for which branches obstructing the temple car’s route are now being removed by temple staff, the source said. Also the Karthigai deepam Girivalam which annually sees around 25 lakh devotees circumnavigating the Annamalai hills will be banned as “it would be a herculean task to control the surging crowds.” Even today visitors undertake Girivalam but it is in very small groups where masking and social distancing are followed, officials added.