Overview
- Devotees started the annual 32‑kilometre circumambulation from Tholi Pavancha in the early hours despite light rain, with officials reporting roughly 11,000 people had set out by midmorning.
- Organisers set up a Command and Control Centre near the start to use surveillance and live coordination to manage pilgrim flow and respond to hotspots on the route.
- Volunteers and community groups staffed refreshment and first‑aid points along the route, supplying water, buttermilk, food, balm and foot massage services to sustain walkers.
- Officials expect numbers to surge when the presiding deity’s ceremonial chariot leaves the temple, and they have arranged an equivalent hill‑top circumambulation for those who cannot complete the full walk.
- The Giri Pradakshina has grown over years from a local ritual into a major regional event that draws multi‑generational crowds and requires sustained coordination between temple authorities, civic agencies and volunteer networks.