The Tiruvannamalai Deepam festival is expected to draw around 50 lakh devotees, and the Tamil Nadu government has directed that entry passes issued by the temple and district administration be distributed transparently through a website without political affiliation.
The direction was issued by Minister Aadhav Arjuna at a preparatory meeting held at the Tiruvannamalai Collectorate to review arrangements for the festival. Minister Ramesh, officials from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, senior police officers and Tiruvannamalai Collector Vandana Garg attended the meeting.
Aadhav Arjuna said arrangements should enable devotees, including women, children and senior citizens, to attend darshan and undertake the Girivalam pilgrimage without disruption. He called for improvements to roads, uninterrupted drinking-water supply and adequate toilet facilities for visitors.
The minister also instructed officials to install clear signboards directing visitors to temporary bus stands and car-parking areas. These facilities should be identifiable to the public, particularly during the period of high visitor movement associated with the festival.
Under the proposed access system, passes issued by the temple administration and district administration are to be made available online. The minister said the distribution should be transparent and not linked to any political party. He also directed officials to publicise the online process so that devotees are aware of the arrangements before travelling to Tiruvannamalai.
The police have been asked to install surveillance cameras as part of the crowd-management arrangements. The administration is also expected to provide medical assistance centres and ambulances equipped with modern facilities. Additional bus services have been sought to manage the movement of visitors arriving for the festival.
The instructions place the pass-distribution system alongside physical infrastructure and emergency-response measures. For a pilgrimage attracting an estimated 50 lakh people, the administration will need to coordinate access control, transport, parking, pedestrian movement, sanitation, water supply and medical response across the town and the Girivalam route.
Ramesh said the district administration should ensure basic facilities for devotees and take steps to enable them to attend the festival without inconvenience. The meeting was attended by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Commissioner Vinay, North Zone Inspector General of Police Praveen Kumar Abinapu and other officials.
Separately, the ministers launched project works valued at Rs 17.35 crore and distributed government welfare assistance worth Rs 8.13 crore to 3,038 beneficiaries at a government community function in the district. At the Tiruvannamalai district sports stadium, Aadhav Arjuna inaugurated a renovated modern gymnasium completed at a cost of Rs 19,90,473 and inspected a renovated basketball court valued at Rs 33,66,746. The administration’s next steps include publicising the online pass process and completing the planned visitor facilities before the festival.
