TIRUVANNAMALAI: The Maha Deepam was lit atop the 2,668ft Arunachaleswarar Hill at 6pm on Wednesday. Despite the pouring rain, lakhs of devotees visited the Arunachaleswarar Temple and chanted ‘Annamalaiyarkku Harohara’ as they waited to witness the Maha Deepam coming to life.
The event marked the culmination of the 10-day Karthigai Deepam festival. The lamp will continue to burn for the next 11 days.
The Maha Deepam was lit right after the lighting of the Akhanda Deepam near the temple’s flag post. The deity was brought out and taken in procession amid the beating of percussion instruments and chants. Following this, the Panchamurthis — Vinayagar, Murugar, Annamalaiyar,
Unnamulaiamman and Chandikeshwarar — were taken in a procession inside the temple, accompanied by a display of fireworks lighting up the night sky. HR&CE Minister PK Sekar Babu and Deputy Speaker Pichandi were present to witness the event. Earlier in the day at 4am, the Bharani Deepam, an important ritual of the festival, was lit inside the temple, with priests chanting hymns in honour of Annamalaiyar and Unnamulaiamman.
On Tuesday, 30 people from the local fishermen community carried the giant cauldron carrying 300kg dried coconut (kopparai) on their shoulders to the Arunachaleswarar hill for lighting the lamp. On Wednesday morning, 4,500kg ghee and 1,500m of cotton wick was also taken uphill.
The district administration had banned devotees from climbing the hill following the Met department’s heavy rainfall alert apart from the report prepared by a team of geologists noting the hill climbing path as unstable with several loose rocks present at central points where landslides had previously occurred. In 2024, landslides occurred on the hill during Cyclone Miachung, killing seven people.