« Karthigai Deepam », one of the most ancient religious festival in Tamil Nadu, draws each year in Tiruvannamalai, hundred of thousands devotees, who come to assist these 10 days of religious festivities.
Huge carts carrying gods statues are drawn by the people in the streets surrounding the temple. The biggest cart is about 17 meters high and weight around 40 tons! This year again, several people were wounded, as they tried to touch any part of the cart in order to receive gods blessings and slipped under the metal wheels, unpurposedly pushed by the huge crowd. Another cart is pulled only by women. The smaller ones are pulled by tractors.
On tenth day, climax of the festival, a fire is simultaneously lit in the temple courtyard and on the summit of the hill overlooking the city. From dawn to dusk, thousands of people are circumvating Arunachala’s Hill or climbing to the summit to offer ghee (clarified butter) for the fire.
There was between 5 and 10 millions people for this last day.