Athiyandal is a village located in Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is a village situated in Tirukkoyilur and is at a distance of 18 km from the town of Tiruvannamalai. Athiyandal assembly constituency is under the Rishivandiyam Assembly constituency. The nearest cities to this village are Thiruvannamalai, Chennai, Salem and Trichy. The official language of Athiyandal is Tamil.

Climate of Athiyandal
The climate of Athiyandal ranges from semi-arid to sub-humid. The village is greatly dependent on the monsoons that occur at three different periods. The first monsoon arrives during the months from June to September. The South West monsoon accompanied by the strong south westerly winds generates rainfall. During the months from October to December, the North East monsoon arrives with the north-easterly winds. During the months from January to May, the season remains dry.

The village receives an annual rainfall of about 945 mm. 32% of rainfall during the South West monsoon and 48% of rainfall has been recorded during the North East monsoon. However, the excess dependency of the village on monsoons makes it prone to droughts and scarcity of water when the monsoon fails.

Festivals of Athiyandal
There are several festivals that are celebrated in this village. Athiyandal organizes festivals during the Tamil months of Thai, Karthikai, Masi and Panguni. During the month of Thai, the Makar Jyothi of Ayyappan is celebrated. The idol of Murugan is worshipped within the temple. However during the festival, it is taken out for procession on beautifully decorated chariots through the streets of the village. Devotees flock the roads to have a glimpse of the lord. Every year the festival begins with the hoisting of a flag. After the event people can neither leave nor enter the village premises. This festival is accompanied by Koothu performance.

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