The Skanda Purana's Arunachala Mahatmyam tells this story: Brahma and Vishnu once argued about who was greater. Shiva appeared between them as a column of infinite light — a Jyoti-stambha with no beginning and no end. Brahma became a swan and flew upward to find the summit; Vishnu became a Varaha (boar) and dug downward to find the base. Neither could. The column was endless.
Shiva then revealed that this infinite column of light had taken form on earth as the Arunachala hill — and that the hill itself is Shiva. This is why Thiruvannamalai is the Agni (fire) element of the five Pancha Bhuta Sthalas. The hill does not merely contain a temple — the hill is the deity.
During Karthigai Deepam — the Tamil month of Karthik — a huge lamp is lit on the summit of Arunachala hill, visible for miles around, representing Shiva's original pillar of fire.
The Arunachaleswarar temple at the foot of the hill is one of the largest temple complexes in Tamil Nadu, with four massive gopurams marking the cardinal directions. Pilgrims can choose between visiting the temple and doing the Girivalam — the 14-km circumambulation of the hill on a paved path.
The Girivalam is best done barefoot at night under the full moon — a practice that draws pilgrims throughout the year and especially during Karthigai Deepam, when hundreds of thousands walk the hill together.
- Open year-round; four large gopurams visible from far.
- Girivalam — ~14 km circumambulation of Arunachala hill on paved road.
- Karthigai Deepam — lamp lit on hilltop, visible for miles; one of the year's major festivals.
- Full moon nights are the traditional time for Girivalam throughout the year.