Tiruvannamalai

Sri Vadirajaru's Reference / Significance: Sri Vadirajaru treats Arunachala as sacred geography. The entry preserves the physical hill/mountain as the pilgrimage referent rather than converting it into an unrelated nearby temple. The reference is retained here in the sequence of Sri Vadirajaru's pilgrimage so that a pilgrim can connect the present-day sacred place with the Kshetra or Tirtha praised in the Tirtha Prabandha.

Sthala Purana: Tiruvannamalai is revered as sacred landscape with traditions attached to Sri Arunachaleswara. The precise local sthala-purana should be confirmed with the temple/Matha or a scholar before publication. The place continues to be approached as a sacred destination in its regional pilgrimage tradition. The present guide therefore focuses on the principal deity, tirtha or sacred feature that a pilgrim can identify and visit today, without treating later local traditions as though every detail were stated by Sri Vadirajaru.

Places to See in the Kshetra: Arunachaleswarar Temple, Arunachala Hill / Giripradakshina

Temple Timings      Morning: 5:30 AM – 12:30 PM     Evening: 3:30 PM – 9:30 PM   (Special darshan during Karthigai Deepam and full moon (Pournami) Girivalam)