A large number of devotees walked the 14-km long ‘Girivalam Path’ around the holy hill of Tiruvannamalai in view of Chitra Pournami on Sunday.
The crowd began the circumambulation from Sunday morning. Though there was a lull during mid-day, the numbers swelled towards the evening.
Temporary shops thrived all along the path. Annadhanam, was performed by many despite a government ban. Similarly people were told not to burn camphor on roads, but they did not refrain.
Camps by Minister
Information Technology Minister Mukkur N.Subramanian, on behalf of AIADMK Tiruvannamalai south district unit organised six refreshment camps along the path.
Though called ‘Thanneer Pandhal’ it distributed water melon, musk melon, cucumber and butter milk pockets. But hygiene took a beating here. The garbage generated from these distributions mounted at several places across the road.
Party men boasted that 5 lakh water bottles, around 70 tonnes of water melon and huge quantities of other fruits and butter milk pockets were distributed.
Temple darshan
A long queue waited in front of Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple from early morning for the darshan.
Not many were happy with the arrangements made by the police department. Arul Kumaran, an advocate and a DMK functionary complained that police prevented even residents from entering Ammani Amman Gopuram Street and Vada Othavadai Street that were situated close to the temple.
“Even after we represented to police saying we were residents they were unwilling to let us in. This is a violation of our basic human right,” he said.
