Tiruvannamalai Arunachalam Temple History and Timings
There are many temples for Lord Shiva in Tamil Nadu, which has a significant Shaivite community. Thirugnanasambandhar, one of the 63 Nayanmars (Shaivite saint-poets) of Tamil Nadu wrote: “Tennadudaiya sivane potri yenatavarkum iraiva potri.” It means that Shiva belongs to the South and is the god of the entire world. Shiva is believed to be the first Siddhar (a perfected person who has gained spiritual powers) who possessed Ashtamasiddhis and also taught yoga, silambam, Siddha medicines, and nokkku varmam to Sage Agastya, one of the Saptarishis.
People worship Shiva for many reasons. In South India, Hindus worship him as the presiding deity of the 5 elements of Nature, and call him Bhootapati or Bhootnath.
The five syllables in Nama Shivaya indicate the five elements or Bhootas in Nature — Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. They form the building blocks of all things in Creation, including the human body, and Shiva is the one who upholds the five elements.
An ancient Indian saying goes — Without the permission of Lord Shiva, even a blade of grass couldn’t sway to the wind. The Pancha Bhoota Sthalams (five Shiva temples that represent one of the five elements of Nature), honor this aspect of Shiva. All the temples lie in South India. Each temple has its own legend and a distinct spiritual essence.
Arunachala Temple is one of Shiva’s Pancha Bhoota Sthalas. It is in Tiruvannamalai, a picturesque region in Tamil Nadu. Shiva resides here as the fire element or Agni Lingam. The temple is 1100 years old. It has over 1000 statues and 450 stone inscriptions, as well as many idols, paintings, bronze statues, 1000-pillared mandap, and 4 towering gopurams. The east-gopuram was built by King Krishnadevarayar. It is 217 ft tall and is the second tallest gopuram in the state. It is called Rajagopuram and is also the third-largest gopuram in India. The temple is said to be the 8th largest temple in India. The Chola kings reconstructed this ancient temple in the 9th century.
This beautiful temple is around 185 km from Chennai and stands at the base of Arunachala Hill. People come here not only to soak in the spiritual energy, but also to feast their eyes on the beautiful scenery around the temple.
Every full moon, thousands of pilgrims come here to perform the Girivalam by circumambulating the Arunachala hill. It is a 14-km long walk. The belief is that those who perform it will be freed of all sins and attain Moksha.
The best time to visit the temple is from October to March. Karthigai Deepam festival is a major festival that is celebrated in the temple during Karthik month (Nov-Dec). It is a magnificent spectacle that one should see at least once in life.
Arunachalam Temple Legends
There are two stories about the temple. According to one, Parvati once closed the eyes of Shiva for fun. Due to her act, the entire universe plunged into darkness. On realizing her mistake, she did penance. Shiva then appeared in the form of a fire pillar or Agni Lingam. The hill on which he manifested came to be called Tiruvannamalai.
Another story claims that Brahma and Vishnu once began to argue about who was greater. To resolve the issue, they requested Shiva to act as the judge. Shiva took the form of a fire pillar and said that the one who reached his crown or feet first would be the winner. On hearing this, Vishnu took the form of Varaha and began to dig deep into the earth to reach the feet of Shiva. Brahma, meanwhile, took the form of a swan and flew upwards to find the crown of Shiva.
On the way up, Brahma saw the Thazhampoo, a flower that had fallen from Shiva’s crown. He asked the flower how high the crown was. The flower told him that it had been falling for a thousand years, and it was yet to reach the ground. Brahma then asked the flower to lie to Shiva that he had reached the crown of the fire pillar and brought the flower from there. The flower agreed. But Shiva was not fooled and cursed both Brahma and the flower. For this reason, there are no temples for Brahma, and the Thazhampoo flower, too, is not used in worship.
Arunachalam Temple Timings
Morning Darshan — 5.00 am to 12.30 pm
Evening Darshan — 3.30 am to 9.30 pm
Poojas at the Temple
Many Poojas are also conducted in this temple at a particular time.
The Gomatha Pooja is from 5.30 am to 6.00 am
Afternoon Pooja is from 11.00 am to 11.30 am
Arthajama Pooja is carried out from 9.00 pm to 9.30 pm
Some of the other Poojas are the Ushakala Pooja from 6.00 am to 6.30 am, the early Santhi Pooja from 8.30 am to 9.00 am, the Noon Pooja from 11 am to 11.30 am, and the Sayaratchai Pooja from 6 pm to 6.30 pm. The second Kalam Pooja is from 7.30 pm to 8.00 pm. Fortnightly rituals and monthly rituals include Pradosham, Amavasya Pooja, Krithigai, Purnima, and Chathurthi.