Hinduism - Where Is Tiruvannamalai?

 

 

Temple town and holy location (tirtha) in Tamil Nadu's northern region, some 100 miles southwest of Madras, the state capital.

Tiruvannamalai is most known for its temple dedicated to the deity Shiva as Arunachaleshvar, or "Lord of Arunachal [Hill]," the hill on which the temple is situated.

Tiruvannamalai is also one of the five bhutalingas ("elemental lingas"), a network of Shiva-related locations in southern India.

Shiva is venerated as a linga, a pillar-shaped item that represents Shiva's symbolic form, in each of these locations, and each linga is said to be made from one of the five primordial elements (bhuta)—earth, wind, fire, water, and space (akasha).

The linga in Tiruvannamalai is linked to the fundamental element of fire, giving it a very potent picture.

Apart from the picture and the temple, Tiruvannamalai is also known for being the home of the modern Indian saint Ramana Maharshi, who lived there from 1896 to 1950.

~Kiran Atma


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