Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai - Annamalaiyar Temple

Tiruvannamalai, commonly known as Arunachala, is one of the famous Shivite shrines in Tamil Nadu, spreading over a 25-acre temple complex.

Lord Siva is worshiped here in the form of Agni Lingam along with the Goddess Parvati at this ancient Annamalaiyar Temple.

Tiruvannamalai Temple Info:

Deity	Annamalaiyar (Shiva) & Apitakuchambaal (Parvati)
Locale	Tiruvannamalai
District	Tiruvannamalai
State	Tamil Nadu
Pincode	606601
Major Festivals	Karthigai Deepam
Architecture	Dravidian Style

In this temple, Lord Siva is called by different names, such as Annamalayar/Annamalaiyar and Arunachaleswarar.

Arunachaleswara Temple - Annamalaiyar Temple

About Tiruvannamalai Temple:

The word "Thiru" means "Greatness" and "Annamalai" means an inaccessible mountain in ancient times. These two words were combined to form "Tiruvannamalai".

The temple town of Tiruvannamalai attracted many pilgrims throughout the ages and acted as a cultural centre of the Shiva Religion (Shaivism) over centuries.

The name of this ancient temple is derived from the sacred Annamalai Hill also called as Arunachala Hill.

The temple is located at the base of the hill, 814 meters above the ground.

Tiruvannamalai is one of the most revered places in Tamil Nadu and is the capital city of the same name Tiruvannamalai district.

Many saints, gurus and sadhus lived in this divine place worshiping Annamalaiyar.

Every full moon day, many visitors walk along this sacred Annamalai hill and offer prayers to Lord Shiva in the Arunachala Temple. Devotees call this spiritual circuit as Girivalam.

This is one of the largest temples in India dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Also, this is one of the Pancha Bhoota temples of Lord Shiva representing the five elements of nature - Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space.

Lord Shiva is worshiped in the form of Agni/Fire in this Arunachaleswara Temple.

Five Pancha Bhoota Temples of Lord Shiva in South India:

1. 👉 Ekambareswarar Temple (Earth) - Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu
2. 👉 Jambukeshwarar temple (Water) - Thiruvanaikaval in Tamil Nadu
3. 👉 Arunachaleswara Temple (Fire) - Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu
4. 👉 Srikalahasteeswara Temple (Air) - Kalahasthi in Andhra Pradesh
5. 👉 Chidambaram Nataraja Temple (Sky) - Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu

Arunachaleswarar Temple History:

Many ancient kings, from the Chola dynasty to the kings of Ballala, built many gopurams, temples and mandapas for Lord Arunachaleswarar.

Sri Krishnadevaraya, the famous emperor of Vijayanagara Empire, built many ancient structures and buildings.

Krishnadevaraya also built the famous 217-foot tall gopuram.

Ancient Legend of Annamalaiyar Temple:

Once upon a time Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu were arguing over who was supreme and they went to Lord Shiva and asked him to solve their problem.

To solve this problem, Lord Shiva took the form of Jyotirlinga (Lingodhbhavamurti - a column of fire with no start and end).

Lord Shiva asked them to find out his crown (starting position) or feet (ending position) to prove their superiority.

Vishnu took the form of a boar and went towards the feet, while Brahma took the form of a swan and went up to find the crown of Jyotirling.

Vishnu was unable to find the foot/base of Shivalingam and therefore accepted his defeat. But Brahma, while going up, found a Ketaki flower that was falling down from Shiva's crown.

He asked the flower of Ketaki and learned that the flower has been falling for forty thousand years.

Lord Brahma thought that he cannot travel that many days to find the crown, so he asked the Ketaki flower to act as a false witness.

Then Brahma returned and told Lord Shiva that he had seen the crown and showed the Ketaki flower to support his claims.

Ketaki flower also confirmed the claims of Lord Brahma.

Then Lord Shiva was furious and cursed them both for lying, saying:

From now on Lord Brahma will not be worshiped by people on earth, and the Ketaki flower will no longer be used to worship me.

Another legend says that the Goddess Parvati once closed Lord Shiva's eyes as a funny act.

This led to total darkness on earth. Knowing her guilt, Goddess Parvati performed penance to please Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva was pleased with the fervent devotion of the Goddess Parvati and appeared to her in the form of Fire and eliminated the darkness on earth with his light at the top of the sacred Hills of Annamalai.

From then onwards this hill is considered to be a sacred representation of Lord Shiva in the form of Shivalingam.

The Arunachaleswarar Temple has the third largest Rajagopuram temple in the world, measuring about 216.5 feet.

Arunachaleswarar Temple Timings:

Morning: 5:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Evening:  3:30 PM - 09:30 PM

Pooja Timings:

Ukshakala 05:30 AM
Kala santhi 08:00 AM
Uchikala 11:30 AM
Sayaratchai 05:30 PM
Irandam Kala 07:30 PM
Arthajama 09:00 PM

Best Time to Visit:

Best time to visit Tiruvannamalai is between November and December when Karthigai Deepam festival is celebrated by the devotees.

A huge beacon is lit atop the Arunachala hill during this festival period.

Places to visit in Tiruvannamalai

1. 👉 Annamalaiyar Temple
2. 👉 Sri Ramana Maharshi Ashram
3. 👉 Annamalai Hills
4. 👉 Skandasramam
5. 👉 Tirukoilur
6. 👉 Virupaksha Cave
7. 👉 Mamara Guhai
8. 👉 Tiruamalai
9. 👉 Seshadri Swamigal Ashram
10. 👉 Sathanur Dam

🔆 Read More About: Best Places to Visit in Tiruvannamalai

Arunachaleswarar Temple Address:

Pavazhakundur, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu 606601.
Phone: 04175 252 438

How to Reach Tiruvannamalai:

By Road:🚌

All major cities are connected by road with the Tiruvannamalai Temple.

By Rail:🚂

Tiruvannamalai railway station (TNM) is the nearest Railway Station to reach the temple.

By Air:✈️

The nearest international airport to reach Tiruvannamalai is at Chennai (IATA: MAA, ICAO: VOMM), which is about 201 km away from the temple.

Major Festivals:

Tiruvannamalai pilgrimage city is known for its spiritual and historical values.

Some of the important festivals that attracts devotees from all parts of the country and abroad are the Deepam Festival, Pournami Girivalam and Maha Shivarathri.

🔆 Read Also: Siva Vishnu Temple in Madipakkam - Chennai

Temple Route Map: