Elaborate arrangements put in place in Tiruvannamalai for Chitra Pournami

The district administration has made elaborate arrangements for devotees for the Pournami festival, which will 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 (HR and CE) Department said there had been a gradual increase in the number of devotees visiting the the 7^th Century temple during the festival, especially during New Year. The temple will be kept open between 6.11 p.m. on Friday and 4 a.m. on Saturday for the festival. Around 25 lakh devotees are expected to take part in the festival.

In view of the crowd, Collector K. Tharpagaraj conducted a review meeting on basic amenities and security arrangements made for the festival. A. Selva Balaji, Tiruvannamalai Corporation Commissioner, told The Hindu, “A large number of sanitation workers will be deployed to keep the town clean during the festival. The police will prevent unauthorised parking along the town’s roads to enable smooth movement of devotees’ vehicles.”

Accompanied by Tiruvannamalai Superintendent of Police M. Sudhakar and Mr. Balaji, Mr. Tharpagaraj inspected the amenities set up for devotees. Temple officials said letters from VVIPs for special VIP darshan would not be allowed and special darshan tickets of ₹50 had also been cancelled for the festival.

All devotees will be allowed for darshan for free during the festival. There will be a special darshan queue for senior citizens and pregnant women. Battery-operated cars will be available for persons with disabilities, and a special entry point for darshan has been created for them.

Medical camps have been set up along the 14-km Girivalam path. Over 60 free toilets and 12 bathrooms will be available along the path. Besides these facilities, taps supplying purified water, round-the-clock power supply with eight heavy-duty generators for back-up, street lights have been set up on the route. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) will operate around 3,000 special bus services from the town during the festival.

To prevent dehydration, buttermilk, water bottles, biscuits, milk, tender coconuts, and fresh juice will be distributed free of cost to devotees. Annadanam has also been allowed on the Girivalam path, with a ban on using plastic items. Devotees have also been encouraged to use cloth bags during the festival.