It is a centuries-old tradition to celebrate the occasion of Chithra Pournami (the full Moon Day occurring in the Tamil Calendar month of Chithirai) with special prayers at Tiruvannamalai Lord Arunchaleswarar temple.
Citizens from other districts in Tamil Nadu, as well as other states, participate in this celebration.
The Full Moon Day falling in the Tamil Calendar month of Chithirai is considered sacred.
This year`s (2023) Chithra Pournami falls at the beginning of May, from midnight on the 4th of May until the 5th of May. Therefore, it is expected that lakhs of devotees will visit Tiruvannamalai on this sacred occasion to celebrate with special prayers.
Furthermore, the summer vacation for school students is set to commence on the 29th of April. Consequently, thousands of families are expected to plan a visit to Tiruvannamalai on Chithra Pournami Day!
Considering the rush of devotees visiting Tiruvannamalai on the occasion of Chithra Pournami, it has been planned to operate 6000 special buses to Tiruvannamalai on the 4th and 5th of May!
The special buses to Tiruvannamalai will operate from Chennai, Koyambedu, Tambaram, Villupuram, Kanchipuram, Thirupathur, Vellore, Salem, Kallakkurichi, Erode, Coimbatore, Madurai, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Dharmapuri, Hosur, Trichy, Pudhuchery, Cuddalore, and Madurai.
A special review meeting was conducted by the officials of the Department of Transport to discuss the arrangement of the special buses as mentioned above. During this meeting, it was determined that a higher number of buses must be operated this year compared to the previous year.