The district administration is gearing up for the upcoming Chitra Pournami festival in Tiruvannamalai with more civic amenities for devotees, who will be going on ‘girivalam’ on April 23 and 24.
Officials of HR&CE, which maintains the 7th Century temple, said the festival has been witnessing steady rise in the number of pilgrims visiting the temple. With additional facilities for visitors, the district administration has decided to organise the festival, expecting around 20 lakh devotees. In view of such a huge crowd, a review meeting led by Collector D. Bhaskara Pandian was held to prepare the temple town for the event.
Officials said letters from VVIPs for special VIP darshan would not be allowed. Also, special darshan tickets of ₹50 for devotees has been cancelled for the festival. In other words, all devotees will be allowed for darshan at free of cost during the festival. Special queue will be in place for senior citizens and pregnant women to have darshan easily.
Also, battery-run cars would be used to help persons with disability to move around inside the temple. A special entry for them will be made.
The district administration would set up medical camps to attend emergency cases along the 14 km-long Girivalam Path. Over 35 free toilets and six bathrooms would be made available on the pathway. Purified water taps, round-the-clock power supply with four heavy duty generators as a backup, street lights along the pathway will be provided. Around 2,800 special bus services will be operated by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) from the town during the festival.
With the soaring temperature, officials said that shelters and watering of the floor on the 14-km-girivalam path would be done. Coir mats would be laid inside the spacious temple premises, which is around 25 acres, to ensure safety of visitors. Further, three free kiosks would be set up for devotees. Devotees would be given free buttermilk, water bottles, biscuits, milk, tender coconuts and fresh juices on their way to darshan in the temple town. Annadanam has been allowed in the girivalam path without using plastic items for the purpose. Devotees are also encouraged to use cloth bags during their visit.
A mass cleaning drive on the girivalam path would be done by sanitary staff, residents and volunteers at 7 a.m on Sunday. The Arunachaleswara temple would be opened between 4 a.m and 11 p.m on Chitra Pournami. In terms of security arrangements, around 4,000 police personnel will be roped up for the purpose with watch towers at key intersections, public places like bus terminus and girivalam path will be set up for the festival.
(PHOTOS: Special Arrangement)
EOM
