Fri Nov 15 13:16:34 UTC 2024: ## Thousands Celebrate Karthika Pournami in Chittoor District
**Chittoor, November 15, 2024:** Thousands of devotees flocked to Shiva temples across Chittoor district on Friday to observe Karthika Pournami, the full moon night in the month of Karthika. The celebrations were marked by extensive security measures implemented by the district police at prominent temples like Moghili, Bugga, Kaigal, and Mallappakonda, ensuring the safety of the devotees.
The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) facilitated the influx of devotees by arranging additional bus services to the Shaivite temples. Starting from the early hours of the morning, women devotees arrived at the temples carrying lamps and performing sacred rituals, lighting them with five different oils, including ghee, as offerings to Lord Shiva. The images of the deity were adorned with fresh bilva leaves.
The five-day Maha-Rudrabhishekam ritual concluded at the Moghili temple with the Poornahuti ceremony, witnessed by thousands of devotees.
Beyond the temple celebrations, Karthika is a month of community gatherings and shared devotion. Villagers across the district organized vanabhojans (picnics) in picturesque forested areas near Nagari, Karveti Nagaram, Palamaner, and Kuppam.
The cultural significance of Karthika extends beyond Chittoor. Devotees from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka travelled to the district’s historic Shiva temples, while an estimated five lakh devotees from Chittoor made their pilgrimage to Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, with the peak being the lighting of sacred lamps atop the Arunachala hillock. Religious sites in Karnataka, such as Kotilingala and Dharmasthala, also saw a surge in worshippers from Chittoor.
First Piper 