அருணாசலேஸ்வரர் கோயில்
Arunachaleswarar Temple
Dedicated to Shiva as the element of Fire (Agni Lingam), this temple sits at the base of Arunachala hill and is the site of the famous Karthigai Deepam festival where a giant flame is lit atop the hill.
The Arunachaleswarar Temple represents Shiva in his form as the element of fire, one of the five elemental (Pancha Bhoota) Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu. Sprawling across 25 acres, it features four gigantic gopurams, with the eastern Rajagopuram rising 11 stories and roughly 66 meters — among the tallest in South India. The temple is inseparable from Arunachala hill, which devotees circumambulate in the ritual of Girivalam, an 14-kilometer walk around the hill practiced by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, especially on full moon nights. The hill and temple were also the spiritual home of the 20th-century sage Ramana Maharshi, whose ashram lies at the base of the hill.
Highlights
- One of the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalams (element temples) — representing Fire
- 11-story Rajagopuram among the tallest temple towers in South India
- Annual Karthigai Deepam festival with a massive beacon fire atop the hill
- Girivalam — the 14 km circumambulation path around Arunachala hill
Tiruvannamalai
Shiva (as Arunachaleswarar / Annamalaiyar)
9th century CE onward, major additions by Chola, Vijayanagara & Nayak rulers
Dravidian, one of the largest temple complexes in India
Explore the Connections
Tiruvannamalai
திருவண்ணாமலை
Hill town sacred to Shiva as the element of fire.
Karthigai Deepam
கார்த்திகை தீபம்
Festival of lights culminating in a giant beacon lit atop Arunachala hill.
Kaara Dosai
காரா தோசை
Spiced, chutney-laced dosai popular in the Tiruvannamalai region.