Early medieval · Hindu · India

Arunachaleswarar Temple

அண்ணாமலையார் கோயில்

Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu · 12.2317°, 79.0676°

Shiva as Agni Lingam (fire)CholaDravidaPaadal Petra SthalamPancha Bhoota Sthalam

Sacred since

850 CE

first attestation / structure

Standing structure

9th-c. Chola core; 16th-c. gopurams

patron: Cholas; Vijayanagara (66 m Rajagopuram)

History & significance

The fire-element temple beneath Arunachala hill, one of the largest temple complexes in India. Each Karthigai Deepam a giant ghee beacon is lit on the summit, visible for miles; the 14 km girivalam circuit of the hill draws hundreds of thousands each full moon. Ramana Maharshi's ashram at its base made the town a global magnet for seekers.

Sthala katha — the legend

Brahma and Vishnu quarrelled over supremacy; Shiva became an endless column of fire and challenged them to find its ends. Vishnu as boar dug down, Brahma as swan flew up and lied about reaching the top — that infinite fire-column cooled into Arunachala hill itself.

Reaching there

Tiruvannamalai railway station is about 2 km from the temple; Chennai International airport is the nearest air link at roughly 180 km. Tamil Nadu Tourism notes regular bus services into the town from Chennai, Bengaluru and other nearby cities over good road connections.

Open in Google Maps ↗Wikipedia ↗View on the atlas map