The Arunachala hills in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvanamalai district, where a landslide occurred recently, will be closed to devotees this year, announced Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister Sekar Babu on Wednesday, December 11. The Arunachaleswarar temple’s celebration of the Karthigai Deepam festival is a significant annual religious event in the area. The hills will be closed to devotees this time based on an expert committee report that assessed the damage caused by the December 1 landslide that killed seven people.
Speaking at a press meet in Chennai, Sekar Babu said, “The committee submitted its report on December 10 after a three-day survey. The report said that large numbers of people should not be allowed to climb the hills. Based on the report, it has been decided that devotees are not allowed to climb the hills.”
Karthigai Deepam is celebrated during the Tamil month of Karthigai (November-December). A grand lamp, or Mahadeepam, is lit at the top of the Annamalaiyar hills as a symbol of spiritual illumination.
The landslide occurred in the wake of heavy rains brought by Cyclone Fengal that hit Puducherry and parts of Tamil Nadu on November 30. Tiruvanamalai had recorded 17.5 cm of rain the following morning.
