Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple at Tiruvannamalai is one of the most ancient temples in South India. It is also one of the biggest temples in Tamil Nadu. Tiruvannamalai has been an important place of pilgrimage since time immemorial. Arunachala is the sacred mountain par excellence. It has a high place in the sacred traditions of Tamil Nadu. Many bards like Nakkirar, Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavasakar have sung the greatness of Lord Siva. The popular Tamil name Annamalai is a combination of two words Anna and Malai. Anna means ‘unattainable’ or ‘inaccessible’ and Malai means Hence Annamalai is an unreachable hill. The Tamil name has been derived from the legend of Lord Siva’s supremacy over Vishnu and Brahma. Arunachala is also the combination of two Sanskrit words, Aruna and Achala. Aruna means ‘red’ and Achala means ‘immovable mount’. Arunachala is thereby known as ‘Red Mount’.
Lord Siva has manifested Himself in the form of a holy hill bestowing grace to all who approach it or even think of it. This ancient rock formation has been there since the continental drift. The Arunachala Hill is considered to be the Adi Lingam or primeval form of Lord Siva. Hence the hill itself has been worshipped as Lord Siva. The temple with its massive walls and majestic gopurams in the vast area of 25 acres of land in extent looks like a fortified citadel of a king. It is indeed the Theyu (Agni) Lingam, one of the five great Pancha Bootha Lingams. This vast temple complex which has grown around a small shrine over the self- formed Lingam, has been altered, extended, and developed by many ancient rulers and chiefs of Southern India for nearly a thousand years. This magnificent edifice stands today as a great symbol of Dravidian art and architecture.
