Tiruvannamalai, Aug. 28 -- Thousands of devotees thronged the Tiruvannamalai railway station after completing the overnight Girivalam (circumambulation of the Arunachala hill) on the occasion of the full moon in the Tamil month of Avani.

Tension prevailed at the railway station when devotees rushed to board a passenger train from Villupuram to Katpadi, jostling with one another to secure seats as soon as the train arrived.

The Avani full moon began at 9.53 a.m. on Thursday and is scheduled to end at 10.29 a.m. on Friday. The administration of the Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple had announced that devotees could undertake the Girivalam on Thursday night.

Following the announcement, lakhs of devotees from various districts of Tamil Nadu...