Tiruvannamalai
53 kms from Chennai
One of the most Sacred cities of Tamilnadu, this pilgrim town
is the place where shiva is believed to have appeared as a column
of fire ( sthavara linga) in order to assert his supremacy over
Brahma and Vishnu. Arunachala Hill ( The Red Mountain) which forms
a backdrop to the town, is said to be the site where the fire
manifested itself, and is thus perceived as the light of god himself.
On the day of the karthigai Deepam festival an enormous deepa
(lamp), using 2,000 ( 528 gallons) litres of Ghee and a 30-m (98ft)
wide wick, is lit on the hill, and burns for days. On a full moon
night, pilgrims perform a 14-kms Long circumambulation on foot
around the hill.
Arunachaleshvara Temple, the town's most important structure,
is one of the five elemental shrines of shiva, where the linga
encased in gold, represents fire. Covering a vast area of 10-ha,
this is also one of the largest temple complexes in India, parts
of it dating to the 11th Century. It has nine imposing towers,
huge Prakaras (Walled and cloistered enclosures), the large Shivaganga
tank and vast thousand-pillared hall. Tiruvannamalai is also where
Sri Ramana Maharishi the famed 20th Century Saint, spent 23 years
in meditation. The Sri Ramana maharishi Ashram near Arunachala
Hill, is an internationally renowned spiritual centre that attracts
devotees from all walks of Life.
