Athi Varadar festival: Online booking woes and rising hotel costs irk devotees

Devotees can have darshan from 5 am to 09:30 pm under the general queue and 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm with the Rs. 300 ticket. While VIP and Donor pass darshans are granted from 5:30 am to 5:30 pm, Saharanama darshan can be viewed from 6 am to 8 am during the morning session and 6 pm to 8 pm during the evening session.

With people from all over India visiting Kancheepuram to catch a glimpse of Lord Athi Varadar, accommodation at hotels is proving to be an expensive affair for devotees. Most online hotel booking sites show full occupancy, with the rental costs exceeding Rs 5,000 per night.

With the crowds expected to increase over the next few days, tariffs are expected to go up further. Most three-star hotels in Kancheepuram have listed a minimum price of Rs. 8000 per room per night due to the festival.

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Devotees from across India have been flocking to Kancheepuram for the festival.

The Tamil Nadu government had announced last week that over 34 lakh people have visited the temple so far. President Ram Nath Kovind, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O Panneerselvam have also been to the temple. DMK leader M K Stalin’s wife Durga and the late DMK scion and former Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s wife Rajathiammal also offered prayers.

President Ram Nath Kovind during his visit to the temple

The 48-day festival is celebrated once in 40 years where the fig idol of Lord Athi Varadar is taken out from the temple tank at Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kancheepuram. The festival this year has garnered a lot of attention, even as poor management and alleged police high-handedness have been putting the festival in the spotlight.

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The Athi Varadar festival, which began on July 1 will come to an end on August 17.