Lord Ganesha (Vinayagar) and Lord Chandikeswarar were taken out in a grand procession on silver vahanas at the Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, ahead of the annual Thirukarthigai Deepam festival.
The festival, one of the most significant events at the temple, will begin on Sunday with the traditional flag-hoisting ceremony. The Arunachaleswarar Temple is revered as the Agni Sthalam among the Pancha Bhootha Sthalams, representing the element of fire.
Preliminary rituals included processions of Goddess Durga, the guardian deity of Tiruvannamalai, on Thursday night, followed by Goddess Pidari Amman, the temple's guardian deity, on Friday.
On Saturday, special abhishekams and poojas were performed for Sambandha Vinayagar at his shrine in the temple's third prakaram, where the deity was adorned with a silver kavacham. Lord Vinayagar was then placed on a silver Mooshika (mouse) vahanam, while Lord Chandikeswarar was carried on a silver Rishaba (bull) vahanam.
Following a special Panchamukha Deepa Aradhanai, the deities circumambulated the temple's inner prakaram before being taken in procession through the four Mada Streets surrounding the temple, blessing the numerous devotees gathered along the route. Many devotees offered prayers and broke coconuts at the Sambandha Vinayagar shrine.
Additionally, Goddess Pidari Amman was honored with a grand procession on a lion vahana on Friday as part of the festival. Her shrine is located in the temple's third prakaram.
The ten-day Thirukarthigai Deepam festival, scheduled to start on November 15 with the flag hoisting, is celebrated with great religious devotion and grandeur. The temple is also regarded as a sacred destination believed to grant liberation through mere contemplation.