A large number of devotees climb every day to receive a 'darshan' of the Shivalinga atop the 7th hill at Velliangiri in Coimbatore district. During the pilgrimage, devotees' clothes and other items are seen littered around the hills.
Coimbatore: The cleanliness of the environmental at Velliangiri Hills is in question owing to the litter left behind by devotees visiting the hills.
A large number of devotees climb the hill to receive a 'darshan' of the Shivalinga atop the 7th hill at Poondi Velliangiri near Coimbatore. Carrying single-use plastic items, other banned items and inflammable materials in the hilly areas is prohibited.
The Forest Department generally grants permission for the Velliangiri trek in March and April. Devotees are allowed to trek till May 31 on account of Chitra Pournami. Devotees throng the Velliangiri Hills from not only Tamil Nadu but also from other states. There is the'andi sunai odai' on the 6th hill in Velliangiri.
Devotees who climb the hill take a bath in the cool water there and then climb further to have a darshan of Lord Velliangiri. Sadly, some devotees who bathe in the 'sunai' leave their clothes behind in spite of a board put up at the spot which requests devotees not to leave their clothes behind. Litter by the devotees is seen strewn about on the hills, thus polluting the environment.
According to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, clothes are not to be worn by devotees inside the stream and yet the rule has been flouted time and again.
Kalidas, Executive of the Osai Eco-System stated that the proposal to declare Velliangiri Hills as an eco-forest has been pending for a long time. "It is the duty of the devotees to keep the hill clean. Devotees should realise that they are against nature, and thus against God," he added.
A large number of devotees climb the hill to receive a 'darshan' of the Shivalinga atop the 7th hill at Poondi Velliangiri near Coimbatore. Carrying single-use plastic items, other banned items and inflammable materials in the hilly areas is prohibited.
The Forest Department generally grants permission for the Velliangiri trek in March and April. Devotees are allowed to trek till May 31 on account of Chitra Pournami. Devotees throng the Velliangiri Hills from not only Tamil Nadu but also from other states. There is the'andi sunai odai' on the 6th hill in Velliangiri.
Devotees who climb the hill take a bath in the cool water there and then climb further to have a darshan of Lord Velliangiri. Sadly, some devotees who bathe in the 'sunai' leave their clothes behind in spite of a board put up at the spot which requests devotees not to leave their clothes behind. Litter by the devotees is seen strewn about on the hills, thus polluting the environment.
According to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, clothes are not to be worn by devotees inside the stream and yet the rule has been flouted time and again.
Kalidas, Executive of the Osai Eco-System stated that the proposal to declare Velliangiri Hills as an eco-forest has been pending for a long time. "It is the duty of the devotees to keep the hill clean. Devotees should realise that they are against nature, and thus against God," he added.