Devotees are prohibited from climbing the Arunachala hills in Tiruvannamalai on Maha Deepam day

This year, around 50,000 devotees are expected to visit the temple town of Tiruvannamalai during the Karthigai Deepam festival, says the Collector. | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO

For the third consecutive year, devotees have been banned from climbing the Arunachala hills near the Arunachaleswara temple in Tiruvannamalai on the occasion of Maha Deepam on November 24.

District Collector Vandhana Garg told reporters on Thursday that the ban on hill climbing on Maha Deepam was decided after heavy rain was forecast. “The decision to ban devotees from climbing the hills has been taken to ensure the safety of human lives. Around 50 lakh devotees are expected to visit the temple town during the Karthigai Deepam festival,” Ms Garg said.

In 2024, the ban came into effect after seven people, including children, died in a landslide triggered by Cyclone Fengal in the hills. Following the landslide, an eight-member expert team of the state government, led by Professor K. Premalatha, head of the Center for Soil Mechanics and Foundations, Anna University (Chennai), climbed the 2,668 feet hill with police, forest and revenue officials to assess the condition of the hills. The report was submitted to the state government.

Officials said the safety of the climbers was taken into account as the terrain on the hills was wet and the soil remained loose due to recent heavy rains after the onset of monsoon.

Eviction notice

Revenue officials have issued eviction notices to about 1,400 families in the hills to vacate their homes to ensure their safety. “Relocation of people living in the hills to temporary shelters in the city will be done in the coming weeks, especially after Maha Deepam, as heavy rains are expected later this month (November),” said a revenue official.

However, officials clarified that a group of local fishermen, who traditionally light a lamp on the hills on Maha Deepam day, as part of the Karthigai Deepam festivities, will be allowed to climb. “The ritual of lighting the lamp on the hills will continue as per tradition. We will check the special passes issued by the Collector to them to climb the hills on that day,” said a forest official.

Fishermen will carry a kettle weighing 175 kg; 750 kg ghee; 10 kg of camphor; and about 300 meters of cotton cloth (like a wick) to light the ‘Kopparai’. Fishermen will be able to take the traditional route that they have been traversing for generations during the Maha Deepam day.

In the past, the district administration had issued special permission to about 2,500 people to climb the hills on Maha Deepam day. However, the forest department opposed it in light of the landslide in 2024. Currently, the hills are divided into eastern and western parts, covering over 698.03 hectares. The landslide occurred on the eastern side of the hills near the path where devotees climb the hills.

Published – November 6, 2026 0:20 AM IST