CHENNAI: A total of 230 special buses will be operated from the Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts to Tiruvannamalai for the Maha Deepam festival on December 3, transport officials said on Friday. The services will begin on Sunday morning, with additional buses to be added based on crowd levels.

The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation will run 100 buses from Vellore, 70 from Ranipet and 60 from Tirupattur to manage the expected surge in devotees travelling for the event.

The Karthigai Deepam festival at the Arunachaleswarar temple began on November 24 with the flag hoisting. The Panjamurthi procession will be held on Sunday, followed by the lighting of the Maha Deepam atop the 2,668-foot Annamalai hill at 6 pm on December 3. Lakhs of devotees from within and outside Tamil Nadu are expected to witness the event and undertake the 14-km girivalam.

Security arrangements have been strengthened across the temple town and the Girivalam path. As part of the deployment, 100 police personnel from Vellore district were sent on November 26, while another 150 left for Tiruvannamalai on Thursday. Additional teams led by Superintendent of Police Mayilvahanan will be sent in the next phase, police officials stated.