India is a multi-cultural country and people blindly believe and worship their god. So to pay their respect, there are hundreds and thousands of temples throughout the country. Huge number of pilgrims visit various and renowned temples of various gods and goddesses. In the south Indian region, you will get many temples, out of which one is the renowned Arunachaleswarar Shiva Temple. This temple is located at the Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu.
History
According to Hindu mythology, there are three main gods who are responsible to the eternal cycle of the creation and destruction – Lord Brahma is the creator, Lord Vishnu is the preserver, and Lord Shiva is the destroyer. As the name indicates, this temple is of lord Shiva and people visit in a huge number. With three different categories of Shiva Lingam sites in the entire India, the site boasts Jyotir Lingams, the Swayambhu Lingams, and the Bhuta Lingams. By becoming a well-known pilgrimage destination, the Arunachaleswara Shiva Temple has plenty of things to offer you.
Structure
The Shiva temple in the site of Tiruvannamalai could be found at the foot of Arunachala Hill. Spreading over an area of 25 acres, this complex has no date of founding. It is surviving over millennia and its large towers, which is called as the Gopuram, were raised between the 10th and 16th centuries. The tallest out of all Gopuram has an elevation of 60 metres and boasts 13 different stories. The central temple preserves the images of Lord Shiva as Lord Annamalai and his wife as Unnamalai. Attend the great Deepam festival that held every year at the time of Hindu month of Karthikai that is from November to the month of December.
The Arunachaleswarar Shiva Temple is the biggest and also the oldest temple out of all other temples in the South India. With amazing architectural work done during the period, which is unknown, the Arunachaleswarar Shiva Temple is a great example of ancient civilization and the ancient architecture. The stone carvings are so rich that it attracts every visitor’s sight at first glance. Well, it has been believed that the construction of this temple took many years. The huge tower is breathtaking, making people to think about how they would have being built during that time when there was no innovation or development.
Festivals
The Deepam festival receives huge crowd of pilgrims and celebrates the manifestation of lord Shiva as the light of Arunachala. For continuous ten days, the city of Tiruvannamalai becomes energetic with the celebration, dancing, processions, and singing. During the final day of the festival when the eve of full moon occurs, huge beacon fire is ignited at the top of the hill to commemorate the fire that was left by lord Shiva. The Arunachala hill is regarded as the miraculous place for healing, particularly for the ailment of infertility and lungs in Women. In fact, the hill of Arunachala is a mark of spiritual knowledge and many great sages have lived at this place. One of the sages among all is the famous Ramana Maharshi between the years 1879 to 1950.
Best Time to Visit
The best time for you to visit the Arunachaleswarar Shiva Temple is from the month of November to the month of January. During this time, you can even experience and enjoy the festival mentioned earlier. The perfect time to visit the temple is during morning. Though people visit and worship there during morning, you can visit there at early morning and pay reverence. The temple remains open from early morning to late evening, especially for the pilgrims who visit anytime from far-flung areas. Well, you should avoid visiting the temple on Sunday, as it is the public holiday and gets over crowded with pilgrims.
There is no entrance fee to enter the temple premises. So you can visit anytime and explore the unknown facts of this ancient temple. No wonder, here you will get plenty of sights to get captivated.
