Karthigai Deepam Festival 2018: Special Train From Chennai to Tiruvannamalai via Vellore Launched by Railways
The special train will depart at 6pm today from Chennai Beach, and is scheduled to reach Tiruvannamalai at 11:20pm in the night. Enroute, it will stop at Vellore Cantonment station for five minutes at 9pm.
Chennai, November 23: The Southern Railway has launched a special train from Chennai to Tiruvannamalai on the occasion of Karthigai Deepam 2018, also referred to Karthikai Vilakkidu or Thrikarthika in Tamil Nadu region. Scores of devotees visit the temple town of Tiruvannamalai, where Karthigai Deepam celebrations are held.
The special train will depart at 6pm today from Chennai Beach, and is scheduled to reach Tiruvannamalai at 11:20pm in the night. Enroute, it will stop at Vellore Cantonment station for five minutes at 9pm. Kumbh Mela 2019: Railways to Use Video Analytics, Other Tech for Crowd Control at Stations.
In Tiruvannamalai, the devotees will attend the special overnight ceremony, when the "moon is in conjunction with the constellation Karthigai and pournami".
The Southern Railway has also arranged for a special return train, which will leave the Tiruvannamalai station at 4:15am in the morning. The train will reach Vellore at 5:55am. The final stop is Chennai beach station, where it will arrive at 9am.
Karthika Deepam is one of the major festivals for Hindus living in southern India. Known as the "festival of lights", it is observed with vigour in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, along with the neighbouring Sri Lanka.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 23, 2018 01:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).