The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has said that continuous LED lighting, which could generate heat on idols of deities of Arunachaleswara Temple will not affect priceless ornaments, including gold jewellery, worn by deities during temple procession as part of the Karthigai Deepam festival.
It comes in the wake of a section of devotees and residents in the temple town fearing that LED lighting, which goes for hours, on the idols during procession could have an adverse effect on their ornaments. “Unlike conventional lights, LED lights are more environmentally friendly. It provides more brightness during procession, providing devotees a glimpse of deities. The fear of heat generated from such lights on deities ornaments is unfounded,” a HR&CE official told The Hindu.
In his petition to various stakeholders including Collector K. Tharpagaraj and Joint Commissioner, HR&CE (Tiruvannamalai) a week ago, R. Ellumalai, district secretary, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) claimed that many residents and devotees have complained about the adverse impact of LED lights on deities’ ornaments.
Such continuous heat could damage the quality of jewellery worn by deities over a period of time. Most of the LED lights were directly focused on the idols, which are made up of a combination of five metals — copper, zinc, tin, gold, and silver.
