Live TV coverage and online streaming video 2013 Karthigai Deepam

2013 Arunachala Mahadeepam TV and Online Streaming 

Below is information about tv coverage an live online streaming of the 2013 Arunachala Deepam. The coverage is of festivities held inside Arunachaleswarar Temple. 

Jaya TV, Raj TV, Vasanth TV, Podhigai TV, Zee Tamil, SVBC TTD TV, Sri Sankara TV DD Podhigai and Sri Sankara TV 

Live video Streaming of Arunachala Maha Deepam 2013 will also be available on:

http://Ustream.com 

http://Justin.tv. 

http://www.turbotv.in/dd-podhigai-live/ 

http://www.dinamalar.com/thirvannamalai_live_video.asp 

http://www.svbcttd.com/ 

http://srisankaratv.com/ 

http://vasanth.tv/livetv.php 

2012 Mahadeepam, Big Temple

Live telecast of Thiruvannamalai Karthigai Deepam 2013 

Many TV channels will telecast this Karthigai Deepam 2013 live from Thiruvannamalai. You can watch Barani Deepam 2013 live through Vasanth TV which telecast from 4:00 am on 17th November 2013. 

2012 Mahadeepam, Big Temple

Watch Karthigai Deepam live from Arunachaleswarar Temple go to its official website: 

http://live.arunachaleswarar.org/ 

To watch Karthigai Deepam 2013 on “You Tube” then visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxLY2ZJKqTg 

For devotees of Ramana Maharshi you can watch a live feed from his Ashram at this link here:

http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org

Hints for 2013 Karthigai Deepam

Below are photographs of the Silver Radham beautifully decorated during the sixth night of the 2013 Karthigai Deepam Festival.

Aarti alangaram inside the Arunachala Mandapam

The Gods being carried on a palaquin

Outside the Thittuvasal Gate next to the Raja Gopuram

Included in this posting are the below hints for devotees travelling to Arunachala for Karthigai Deepam that appeared in newspapers over the last few days. 

“The Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai Road will be made one-way and only vehicles coming towards Tiruvannamalai will be allowed on the road on November 17, the Karthigai Maha Deepam day. About 10,000 police personnel of different ranks would provide security during one of the most populous festivals of the State. The crowd will be monitored by Unmanned Arial Vehicle and close circuit cameras he said. 

Heavy vehicles will not be allowed in Tiruvannamalai town from the midnight of November 15. They will be appropriately diverted in each road leading to Tiruvannamalai. Information boards will also be placed on every road. Devotees coming to witness the ceremony from within Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple have been advised not to carry mobile phones, inflammable articles (e.g. camphor) or match boxes with them. Camphor should not be lit on roadways or in front of the Temple Gopurams. 

Annadanam (food donation) vehicles will not be allowed inside the town or in Girivalam path from November 15th. 

Devotees who go on girivalam can contact “May I Help” booths set up at spots along the path. Ambulances will be ready at ten places with medical teams to handle emergencies. 

Chariots on Big Street

The weather is very unseasonal for this time of year -- lots of azure blue skies and hot toasty sun. Walking down Big Street, which is the main arterial road in front of the east side of Arunachaleswarar Temple's Raja Gopuram, its difficult to believe that Mahadeepam is just a few days away.

As always the chariots that will be used for the Maharadham Festival this coming Thursday November 14, are parked on the sides of Big Street. Traffic is less on this thoroughfare nowadays, since the one-way road system in the busy part of town was implemented.

Below are a couple of photographs of the Murugan Chariot, which has had a substantial amount of renovation work implemented this season.

Murugan Chariot parked side of Big Street

Workers inside the chariot completing renovation

There is also a short video I took a couple of days ago of Big Street with the brightly painted chariots in the distance. 

Flag Hoisting, 2013 Arunachala Deepam Festival

These below photographs are of the early morning flag hoisting at Arunachaleswarar Temple signalling the start of the 2013 Arunachala Deepam Karthigai Festival. The Flag Hoisting was performed on November 8, 2013.

Cancellation of 2013 Deepam Cow Fair, Tiruvannamalai

The wonderful, colourful Cow and Horse Fair celebrated each year at Tiruvannanamalai during the time of Karthigai Deepam, is cancelled this year due to what is being reported as an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in these parts. 

The below report is by J Shanmugha Sundaram and appears in local newspapers. 

“The wide spread dreadful foot-and-mouth disease among milch animals in several parts of the State has stalled the time immemorial horse and cattle shandy, which is part and parcel of the annual Karthigai Mahadeepam festival, this year. 

The district administration has cancelled the shandy as trans-shipped animals would lead to the spread of the viral disease and infect huge number of livestock. The shandy is conducted during the last three-days of the 10-day festival. Next to Anthiyur shandy in Erode district, the Tiruvannamalai cattle shandy is the second biggest one in Tamil Nadu. 

Historians and archaeologists said it had been mentioned in Sanga Illakkiyam that traders brought their horses and cattle to the shandy organised as part of the Tiruvannamalai Karthigai Mahadeepam festival. “It is as old as the festival,” said R Segar, Professor of History Department, Government Muthurangam Arts and Science College, Vellore. 

Though the shandy had lost its sheen, thousands of traders and proud owners of horses of different breeds such as Kathiawari and Marwari, native breeds of milch cows and bulls from across the State and from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala States continued to bring their animals to it . . . ” 

To read more go to this link here 

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The below photographs are of the wonderful Fair from an earlier Deepam. 

2013 Arunachala Deepam Festival Schedule

The poster below lists the dates of major functions that will be celebrated during this years 2013 Deepam Festival.

Major Functions of 2013 Deepam Festival

Yesterday I spent the evening at Arunachaleswarar Temple and while there noticed electricians and workers busy setting up the lights that will illuminate the Temple during the Deepam Festival. 

2012 Temple with Deepam Lights

Below are photographs from the 2012 Deepam Festival at Arunachala, to give readers an idea of the huge crowds and wonderful spectacle and spiritual experience of some of the festivities surrounding the Deepam Festival. 

Flag Hoisting 2012

Flag Hoisting Arunachaleswarar Temple, Deepam 2012

Silver Rishaba Vahanam, 2012 Deepam Festival

Silver Rishaba Vahanam outside Arunachaleswarar Temple, Deepam 2012

Huge Crowd evening of Rishaba Vahanam, outside Big Temple 2012

Pulling the Maharadham, Deepam 2012

Giant Wooden Chariot being pulled perimeter Big Temple, Deepam 2012

Priests Bharani Deepam, Arunachaleswarar Temple, 2012

Mahadeepam on top of Arunachala, Deepam Festival 2012

I don't wish to give off negative vibrations regarding the Deepam Festival at Arunachala, but to those who intend to visit Arunachala for Deepam this year (or Deepam in years to come) -- a word of warning. Be careful of your belongings as many thieves and pickpockets will also be visiting Arunachala for the Festival -- but in their case for an entirely different reason. Two years ago whilst pulling the Maharadham (on the ladies side) my shoulder bag was slit open from the back, and a lady thief tried to pull out my wallet. Luckily I kept all my valuables at home, thus nothing was taken. 

To have a wonderful Deepam experience PLEASE BE CAREFUL OF YOUR POSSESSIONS.