Thiruvannamalai

Thiruvannamalai is a famous holy town perched on a hill (malai) in the district of Thiruvannamalai of Tamil Nadu state of India and is the most scared pilgrim center of Hindus in the region. The region was known as ‘Thondai Mandalam’ in the ancient period. This holy town is the home of highly revered ashram of the mystic saint Sri Ramana Maharshi and the famous Arunachala temple. The city has about 100 temples. The city and the Arunachaleswara temple had long history beginning from 750 AD. It is one of the five Panchabhoota (five elements wind, water, fire, earth and space) Stalams. This is the abode of the fire, one of the five elements constituting the whole life as per Hindu mythology. This temple has imposing Gopurams and inviting architectural beauty.