Collector K. Tharpagaraj inspects the arrangements being made for devotees ahead of the Pournami festival in Tiruvannamalai town. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
The district administration has made elaborate arrangements for the devotees for the Pournami festival to be held on Friday and Saturday (January 2 and 3, 2026) at the Arunachaleswar Temple in Tiruvannamalai.
Officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR and CE) said that the number of devotees visiting the 7th-century temple during the festival, especially during the New Year, has gradually increased. The temple will be open between 6:11 PM on Friday and 4:00 AM on Saturday for the festival. About 25 thousand devotees are expected to attend the festival.
Keeping in view the crowd, Collector K. Tharpagaraj held a review meeting on basic facilities and security measures taken for the festival. A. Selva Balaji, Tiruvannamalai Corporation Commissioner, told The Hindu: “A large number of sanitation workers will be deployed to keep the city clean during the festival. Police will prevent unauthorized parking along city roads to allow smooth movement of devotees’ vehicles.”
Accompanied by Tiruvannamalai Superintendent of Police M. Sudhakar and Mr. Balaji, Mr. Tharpagaraj inspected the facilities prepared for the devotees. Temple officials said letters from VVIPs for special VIP darshan will not be allowed and special ₹50 darshan tickets have also been canceled for the festival.
All devotees will have free darshan during the festival. There will be a special queue for darshan for senior citizens and pregnant women. Battery powered cars will be available for the disabled and a special darshan entry point has been created for them.
Medical camps have been set up along the 14 km Girivalam trail. Over 60 free toilets and 12 bathrooms will be available along the route. Apart from these facilities, taps of purified water, continuous power supply with eight powerful generators for backup, street lighting are established along the route. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) will operate about 3,000 special bus services from the city during the festival.
To prevent dehydration, buttermilk, water bottles, biscuits, milk, tender coconuts and fresh juice will be distributed to the devotees free of cost. Annadanam was also allowed on the Girivalam trail with a ban on the use of plastic items. Devotees were also encouraged to use cloth bags during the festival.
Published – 01 Jan 2026 20:25 IST
