Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments M S M Anandan said devotees would be allowed inside Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple on the final day of Karthigai Mahadeepam, on November 27, under ‘first-come, first-served’ method.
Chairing a review meeting on the preparedness for the 10-day festival on Thursday at the Collectorate, the minister said issuing VIP entry passes, which had been in practice till last year, has been abolished this year. The department would allow 10,000 devotees inside the temple, the minister said.
The minister also handed over a cheque for Rs 25 lakh to the administration of Tiruvannamalai Municipality to provide basic amenities for devotees coming to the festival. The remaining amount would be handed over by the local administration in the coming days.
The local administration has also decided to install 5,000-litre capacity syntax tanks along the Girivalam path to provide drinking water to pilgrims. Collector Dr Vijay Pingale said the district administration would engage 500 sanitary workers to maintain cleanliness of the town during the festival.