The Thaipusam festival in Palani witnessed massive crowds on Sunday, 1 February 2026. Devotees in lakhs thronged the town from districts including Tiruchirappalli, Madurai and Coimbatore, and from other states such as Kerala.
Devotees from districts including Tiruchirappalli, Madurai and Coimbatore, along with pilgrims from states such as Kerala, arrived in large numbers, many undertaking padayatra, carrying kavadi and performing alagu piercing. From as early as 2 AM, devotees began assembling in queues to proceed to the Palani hill temple.
With all paid darshan categories cancelled, devotees were permitted to have darshan through general queues. However, the overwhelming turnout resulted in wait times stretching to nearly six hours. Heavy crowding was also reported at the rope car station, while congestion on the usual routes led several devotees to attempt climbing the hills to reach the temple.
As the number of devotees continued to swell, police personnel and officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department struggled to manage the crowd. To regulate movement, authorities converted the hill route into a one-way system, allowing devotees ascending the hill through the Kudamuzhukku Memorial Hall route and directing those descending via the steps pathway. Police also attempted to control the flow by sending devotees in batches along the hill road.
Despite these measures, the situation worsened as devotees attempted to overtake one another, resulting in severe congestion. Due to the crush and prolonged hours of waiting, several devotees fainted. Police personnel on security duty rescued those who collapsed and carried them to out away from the crowd.
While the hill temple had been decorated with colourful flower festoons and buttermilk was distributed to devotees, many pilgrims were said to have faced hardship due to inadequate access to drinking water and toilet facilities during the extended waiting period for darshan.
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