ArunachalaShivaSacred Mountain · Tiruvannamalai
Arunachala · Tiruvannamalai

The sacred hill of fire

Your complete guide to Arunachala — the mountain held to be Shiva himself, and the temple town of Tiruvannamalai at its foot. Walk the sacred Girivalam, discover Ramana Maharshi, meet the saints of the hill, and follow the sacred calendar and the great festival of Karthigai Deepam — everything the pilgrim and the seeker need, in one place.

The mountain held to be Shiva himself. Walk the sacred Girivalam, meet Ramana Maharshi and the saints of the hill — everything the pilgrim needs, in one place.

Start here Walk Girivalam
The night of light · 24 November 2026

Karthigai Deepam 2026

When the cosmic flame ignites atop Arunachala, the night sky bows to a single light that outshines a million stars. Our complete guide to the greatest festival of the sacred hill ~ the date, the timings, the Girivalam, where to watch, and how to be there.

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Maha Deepam lit~6:00 PM IST, 24 Nov
The flame~3 tonnes of ghee, burns 10 days
PilgrimsMillions; up to 50 lakh forecast
Climbing the hillReported banned on 24 Nov
Read the complete 2026 guide →

Day-by-day festival calendar · Watch it live online · Where to stay · Bharani Deepam

Illustrated film

Why we light the lamp: Karthigai Deepam explained

The story of the Maha Deepam in pencil and light: the column of fire, the hill that became Shiva, the six Krittikas, Ardhanarishvara, and how to keep the festival wherever you are.

Live satsang · Tiruvannamalai

Sit with living teachers

Satsang is still held, in person and online, at the foot of Arunachala. Dates updated 10 October 2026.

Ganga Maa of Hridaya Kshetram, Tiruvannamalai

Ganga Maa offers Advaita satsang in the lineage of Ramana and Arunachala ~ most mornings, Monday to Saturday, and on Tuesday and Friday evenings. All are welcome. From 15 October 2026 satsang is at the new ashram in Adi Annamalai.

New ashram address & directions →
Swami Nochur (Ramanacharanatirtha) smiling at satsang

Next in Tiruvannamalai

  • 15–23 NovArunachala Anubhavam TiruvannamalaiTamil · 9 AM IST · Sri Kanchi Sankara Mutt, Tiruvannamalai
  • 25 DecSri Bhagavan Jayanti Satsang TiruvannamalaiEnglish · 4 PM IST · Shivaprasadam, TSR Nagar, Tiruvannamalai
  • 26 Dec – 1 JanSri Ramana Bhagavan’s Aksharamanamalai TiruvannamalaiEnglish · 9:30 AM IST · Shivaprasadam, TSR Nagar, Tiruvannamalai

Tamil satsang live on audio, 22 Oct, 10 AM · listen live

Full satsang dates →

Next full moon Girivalam: date & timing

See the 2026 dates

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Every Pournami, thousands of pilgrims walk the 14 km around the sacred hill through the night ~ one of the most powerful experiences at Arunachala.

Coming up

  1. Mon 23 Nov 2026 Karthigai Pournami 23 Nov, 11:00 PM → 24 Nov, 9:00 PM
  2. Wed 23 Dec 2026 Margazhi Pournami 23 Dec, 9:57 AM → 24 Dec, 7:40 AM
Girivalam date & time 2026–27 →

Walking it? Open the Girivalam walking companion →

Illustrated film

Pournami night: what a full-moon Girivalam walk is like

The moon, the monthly timing, the river of pilgrims on the 14 km road, the stalls and songs, the silent walkers, what to carry, and where to find quiet.

Arunachala · the sacred walk

Girivalam, the Siddha way

Not just a pilgrimage – a yoga in motion. The Tamil Siddhas walked this hill the way others sit in meditation: fourteen quiet kilometres, forty-one named shrines, and seven inner rules that turn every step into practice. Anyone who can walk with love, can walk it.

Illustrated aerial map of Arunachala hill and the circular Girivalam road, with all forty-one stops marked in walking order and a compass rose 41 stops on the map →
14 kmonce around, clockwise, hill on your right
41shrines, tanks & lingams, stop by stop
8directional lingams that frame the walk
Indra Lingameast · the first Sri Ramanasramamthe ashram stop Adi Annamalaiwest · the still heart Esanya Lingamnorth-east · the last
Open the walking companion → See every stop on the map →
Illustrated film

Girivalam: walking around Arunachala with devotion

What Girivalam is, the eight lingams in the order you meet them, and the spirit in which the walk is made: a prayer offered with the feet.

The year at Arunachala

The Sacred Calendar 2026

Every full moon, festival and holy day of the sacred year at Arunachala, month by month, with the meaning of each. Thirteen Pournamis, two great peaks — Maha Shivaratri and Karthigai Deepam — and the dates to plan a pilgrimage around.

On the calendar next

  • 25 OctAippasi PournamiThe season of lamps ~ luminous, cool, clear.
  • 23 NovKarthigai PournamiThe great full moon that opens into the Deepam.
  • 24 NovKarthigai DeepamThe beacon lit on the summit ~ the hill’s greatest festival.
  • 23 DecMargazhi PournamiThe year closes in sacred Margazhi.
See the full 2026 calendar →

This week at Arunachala Girivalam dates 2026–27 The Tamil festival year Pradosham Ekadashi

Illustrated film

The Tamil festival year at Arunachala, month by month

A wheel of twelve Tamil months around the sacred hill, from Chithirai to Panguni, with Karthigai Deepam and Maha Shivaratri as the two great peaks.

Arunachala · the unmoving hill

Arunachala ~ Shiva himself

In the tradition, the hill is not where Shiva dwells ~ it is Shiva. The old verse sets the holy places side by side ~ Tiruvarur by birth, Chidambaram by sight, Kashi by death, and Arunachala by remembrance alone. Here a sadhu stands in the fields at its foot, arms lifted toward the mountain. For many, the pilgrimage begins simply: stop, stand, and face the mountain.

Plan your visit
Illustrated film

Tapobhumi: why Tiruvannamalai is a holy land of tapas

The fire hill, the five element temples, Parvati's penance, the saints who sat here, and the old promise that to think of Arunachala is enough.

The towering Rajagopuram of the Arunachaleswarar temple reflected in the temple tank at Tiruvannamalai
The great temple

Arunachaleswarar Temple

A walled sacred city at the foot of the hill ~ twenty-five acres, nine gopurams, and a thousand years of unbroken worship. Here Shiva is honoured as the element of fire, in one of the five great element-temples of the south. Our complete guide to its history, its layout, the darshan timings, and how to visit.

66 mThe Rajagopuram, one of India’s tallest
9towering gopurams
Agnithe fire element of the Pancha Bhuta Sthalams
Explore the temple guide →

Everything the guide covers

The hill and its fire, the great walk, the sage Ramana, the saints of two thousand years, the sacred calendar, and everything the visit needs ~ each explored in depth. Follow whichever calls you.

Plan your visit How to reach Tiruvannamalai, when to come, where to stay and eat, money, health, getting around, what to pack — the whole practical picture. Explore → Girivalam — the sacred walk The 14 km circumambulation of the hill: the complete guide, the route landmark by landmark, the eight lingams, barefoot or shoes, the night walk. Explore → Ramana Maharshi His whole life in chapters, his teaching in depth, his key texts explained, the devotees who gathered, and how to visit his ashram. Explore → The mountain What Arunachala is — the fire legend, the scriptures, the sacred geometry, the temple, the five element-temples, and the facts & history. Explore → The saints of Arunachala Two thousand years of devotion — the ancient Tamil saints, the Siddhars, Seshadri Swami, the beggar-saint, the jeeva samadhis, and the living satsangs. Explore → The sacred calendar Every full moon, festival and holy day of the year — Pournami, Karthigai Deepam, Shivaratri, Pradosham, Ramana’s days — with the meaning of each. Explore →

Popular & useful

Who was Ramana Maharshi? The whole life in one moving sweep. Explore → Next full moon Girivalam Dates & timings 2026–27. Explore → What is Arunachala? The mountain that is fire. Explore → Best time to visit When to come, month by month. Explore → Where to stay From free ashram rooms to guesthouses. Explore → Girivalam companion All 41 stops, offline, at your pace. Explore → FAQ Your questions, answered in one place. Explore →

Latest writing

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Explore the whole guide

Every part of the guide, by theme ~ a good place to start if you are not sure where to begin.

Girivalam & the hill

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Festivals & the sacred year

Ramana Maharshi & his devotees

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Saints, Siddhars & sacred temples

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Planning your visit & living there

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About this guide

ArunachalaShiva is an independent, freely-given guide to Arunachala and Tiruvannamalai — the sacred hill of Shiva, the home of Ramana Maharshi, and one of the great spiritual destinations of the world. It aims to be the most accurate, comprehensive and beautiful resource for the pilgrim, the seeker, and the curious traveller alike — honest about the practicalities, deep on the meaning, and reverent toward the living tradition of the hill.

More about this site →