Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P. K. Sekarbabu on Saturday announced that the system of special tickets for darshan on Pournami days at the Arunachaleswarar temple has been stopped. Pournami darshan starts on Sunday evening, July 2 this month.
The temple authorities used to collect ₹50 per special ticket on full moon days, including Karthikai Deepam. During Pournami, the temple gets around 2 - 3 lakh devotees bringing an annual income of ₹1.32 crore.
However, the special darshan system was being dropped, he said and added that separate arrangements have been made for darshan for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and expectant mothers.
The department had also written to Southern Railway requesting it to run special trains to Tiruvannamalai for devotees to reach for Pournami darshan, Mr. Sekarbabu added.
