Tiruvannamalai
A fire temple at the foot of a sacred hill
A Tiruvannamalai tour joins the Arunachaleswarar Temple's 66 m tower, the 14 km Girivalam walk round Arunachala hill and Sri Ramanasramam.
Overview
Tiruvannamalai is a temple town in Tiruvannamalai district, in the north of Tamil Nadu, built against the 814 m Arunachala hill. It suits pilgrims, walkers and travellers who want a quiet spiritual stop, and the cooler months from October to March are the easier time to come. The crowds are heaviest at the full moon and in November, when the Karthigai Deepam festival fills the town.
The Arunachaleswarar Temple, also called the Annamalaiyar Temple, covers about 10 hectares (25 acres) on the plain below the hill. Its eastern tower rises through eleven storeys to 66 metres, and it is one of the five Panchabhuta temples, where the lingam stands for fire. Its origins go back to the Chola period of the 9th century, and the Vijayanagara and Nayak rulers added to it later, including a thousand-pillared hall.
The hill gives the town its second main activity. Girivalam is the 14 km walk along the road that circles Arunachala, and pilgrims do it barefoot, with small lingam shrines (eight, by one count) placed along the way. People walk it on any day, yet the full-moon night draws by far the largest numbers, so a weekday outside the full moon suits anyone who wants room to walk.
Sri Ramanasramam stands at the foot of the same hill. Ramana Maharshi reached Tiruvannamalai in 1896 at the age of 16 and spent about 17 years in Virupaksha Cave from 1899, then moved to Skandashram, another cave on the slope, until the end of 1922. The ashram grew up around his mother's tomb, and he lived there until his death in 1950. The ashram describes itself as a home for seekers, usually for stays of a week or less, and directs enquiries about rooms to its Accommodation Department.
The town lies roughly 195 km by road from Chennai, and the nearest station, Tiruvannamalai, sits on the Katpadi to Villupuram line close to the temple. Two days cover the temple, the ashram and one walk round the hill, and a third day allows time for the caves or for Gingee Fort, a nearby sight. Temperatures run from about 20 C to 40 C through the year, May is the hottest month, and most of the 815 mm of annual rain falls between October and December.
Known for
A 66 m eastern tower on a 10-hectare site, with a shrine to fire
Happening soon
Updated Oct 2, 2026Aadi Pooram Festival at the Arunachaleswarar Temple
festivalUsually July or August, in the Tamil month of Aadi. In 2026 the festival days were reported for 14 August.
A ten-day festival at the Arunachaleswarar Temple in the Tamil month of Aadi, marked by Brahmotsavam observances.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesPournami Girivalam at Arunachala
festivalMonthly, on the full-moon day. The walking window runs from the start to the end of the full-moon tithi, which begins at a different hour each month.
On each full-moon night, large numbers of pilgrims walk the 14 km road around Arunachala hill.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesQuick facts
Hot from March to June, with a mean daily maximum of about 38.5 C in May, and most of the 815 mm of yearly rain falling between October and December.
Chennai International Airport, about 172 to 189 km away; the district site gives 189 km
Tiruvannamalai railway station (code TNM), on Railway Station Road near the Annamalaiyar Temple
About 195 km from Chennai Central bus stand by road, per the temple page on the district site.
Girivalam is walked barefoot on a road, so start early in the day, carry water and avoid the hottest hours from March to June
Rooms fill up around full-moon nights and the Karthigai Deepam festival, so book a stay before you fix travel dates for those days
Write to Sri Ramanasramam's Accommodation Department before you come if you want to stay there, as the ashram takes guests for a week or less
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