A year after landslip, Tiruvannamalai’s Arunachala Hills gears up for annual Maha Deepam

The temple town of Tiruvannamalai is gearing up for lighting Maha Deepam atop 2,688 feet-high Arunachala Hills near Arunachaleswara temple on December 3, 2025 (Wednesday) as part of Karthigai Deepam festival.

The 2025 Maha Deepam festival comes an year after landslip that killed seven persons including children on December 1, 2024 due to rains triggered by Cyclone Fengal in the town. “Forest staff from neighbouring divisions like Vellore and Tirupattur have been roped to assist local forest teams to prevent people from climbing the hills during the festival. However, people who are associated with lighting the lamp atop the hills as part of Maha Deepam will be allowed,” M. Sudhakar, District Forest Officer (DFO), told The Hindu. 

Forest officials said that around 80 persons, who belong to the local fishermen community associated with the lighting lamp on Maha Deepam day, were permitted to climb the hills after the HR&CE has issued special passes to them. The special passes will be checked by a joint team of forest officials and police in at least 13 spots on the hills for 11 days. On an average, six to eight persons will comprise each checking team, covering at least a distance of 500 metres in the hills. In total, around 120 forest staff will be deployed in the hills for the purpose. 

On Tuesday (December 2), Maha Deepam team carried cauldron (kopparai) on the northeast of the hills. They avoided their traditional southeast route to carry the materials atop the hills after landslip occurred there last December.

HR&CE officials said that 600 kg of ghee, 10 kg of camphor, around 1,500 metres of cotton cloth (as the wick), and 15-foot-long bamboo stick will be carried by local fishermen atop the hillock on the day of Maha Deepam. “Our family members are involved in lighting of Maha Deepam atop the hills for generations. Mostly abled men in the community are assigned for the job,” said K. Mari, a resident.

For 11 days after Maha Deepam, the members of the local fishermen community, assigned by HR&CE, will take turns to carry the same amount of ingredients to the hillock to keep the fire burning. The accumulated sacred ash, which is distributed to devotees after three months, is collected by the team once in three days and brought back to the temple. 

Arrangements, local holiday

Revenue officials said that around 40 lakh devotees were expected to visit the temple town on Maha Deepam day. Elaborate arrangements including 24 temporary bus terminus with over 4,500 special buses were roped for the purpose. Around 90 medical camps including 37 on Girivalam path alone have been set up to help devotees especially senior citizens and women.

Accompanied by Tiruvannamalai Collector K. Tharpagaraj, Minister for Public Works and Highways E.V. Velu flagged off 45 ambulances including five bike ambulances in the town on Tuesday (December 2) as part of Maha Deepam.

Adequate water taps (136 spots), washrooms (836 spots) including 483 washrooms on Girivalam path, 1,258 street lights (698 lights on Girivalam path alone) will be set up for the festival. Around 3,600 sanitary workers will be engaged in the town to remove trash during the festival. Around 150 welfare associations were allowed to provide free food (annadhanam) for devotees on Maha Deepam day.

In view of the surging crowds in the town, the Collector has declared a local holiday on Wednesday (December 3).