Elaborate arrangements, including tight security measures, are being made for December 16 'Sanipeyarchi' (transit of Saturn) festival to be held at the famous Lord Saneeswara temple in Tirunallar near here in the union territory of Puducherry.
The Dharbaranyeswarar temple is the only one dedicated to Lord Saneeswara in the whole of the country and the transit of Saturn from one Zodiac sign to another once in two-and-half years is celebrated as 'Sanipeyarchi' festival, which attracts lakhs of devotees from across the country.
This year, Lord Saturn transits from 'Thulam' (Libra) rasi to 'Viruchikam' (Scorpio) on Dec 16 at 2.43 p.M.
"We have taken steps to ensure that the festival proves to be highly friendly to ordinary pilgrims thronging the town to have a glimpse of Lord Saneeswara " temple Executive Officer S K Panneerselvam said.
The legendary 'Nalan Kulam', the holy tank of the temple, had been spruced up. As all the pilgrims would like to take a holy dip, state-of-the-art facilities had been made to constantly pump out impure water and fill it with fresh water, he told PTI here.
"Several lakhs of pilgrims are expected to throng the temple for Sanipeyarchi. Various types of queue arrangements have been meticulously planned to ensure quick darshan for the devotees. Supply of VIP passes will be restricted and the usage would be closely monitored," he said.
Karaikal District administration has planned elaborate arrangements for security, transportation, sanitation, toilets, drinking water, food availability, accommodation, queue patterns and traffic regulation.
District Collector Vallavan said 93 digital surveillance cameras are being installed at strategic locations in and around the temple.
Tight security arrangements will be made under the direct supervision of Karaikal Superintendent of Police Pazhanivelu, he added.
