Tiruvannamalai is a city and the administrative headquarters of Tiruvannamalai district in the northern part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the oldest temple towns of South India and is known principally for the Arunachalesvara Temple, dedicated to Shiva in his manifestation as Arunachala, and for the sacred hill of the same name around which the town has developed. The town is also closely associated with the 20th-century sage Ramana Maharshi, whose ashram on the lower slopes of Arunachala continues to attract pilgrims and visitors from India and abroad.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Tiruvannamalai |
| Type | City and municipality; district headquarters |
| Language | Tamil |
| Notable landmark | Arunachalesvara Temple; Arunachala hill |
| Associated figure | Ramana Maharshi (Sri Ramanasramam) |
The town lies in the Eastern Ghats foothills, dominated by Arunachala, a hill considered sacred in Shaiva tradition. The terrain around the town is a mix of plains used for agriculture and rocky outcrops associated with the hill. Tiruvannamalai is connected by road to Vellore, Villupuram, Chennai, Puducherry and Bengaluru, and lies on a railway branch that links it to the broader Southern Railway network.
Tiruvannamalai has a long history as a Shaiva pilgrimage centre. The Arunachalesvara Temple, one of the largest temple complexes in India, is associated with the element of fire (agni) among the Pancha Bhuta Sthalas, the five Shiva temples representing the classical elements. The temple has inscriptions and additions from successive South Indian dynasties, including the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Sambuvarayars, the Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara rulers, with the great gopurams and outer enclosures largely associated with the Vijayanagara period.
The town is celebrated in the hymns of the Tamil Shaiva poet-saints, the Nayanars, and is therefore counted among the Paadal Petra Sthalams. It is also a major centre of the Girivalam tradition, in which devotees walk the roughly 14-kilometre path circling Arunachala, especially on full-moon nights.
The annual Karthigai Deepam festival, held in the Tamil month of Karthigai (November–December), is the most prominent religious event in Tiruvannamalai. A large lamp (Maha Deepam) is lit on the summit of Arunachala, drawing very large numbers of pilgrims to the town.
The sage Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950) settled at Tiruvannamalai in 1896 and lived in caves on Arunachala, including Virupaksha Cave and Skandashram, before the establishment of Sri Ramanasramam at the foot of the hill. The ashram remains an important centre for the study and practice of his teaching of self-enquiry (atma vichara).
Tiruvannamalai serves as the headquarters of Tiruvannamalai district, which was carved out of the former North Arcot district in 1989. Civic administration within the town is handled by the Tiruvannamalai Municipality. The town is part of the Tiruvannamalai Lok Sabha constituency and contains a state assembly constituency of the same name.
The local economy is based on agriculture in the surrounding rural areas, trade and services in the town, and a substantial pilgrimage- and tourism-related sector built around the Arunachalesvara Temple and Sri Ramanasramam. Small-scale industries, weaving and oil milling are also present in and around the town.
Tiruvannamalai hosts a range of government and private schools, arts and science colleges affiliated to Thiruvalluvar University, polytechnics, and a government medical college and hospital. Religious institutions, mathas and ashrams associated with the temple and with Ramana Maharshi also play a role in the town's cultural life.