Thread by @narayanagl

Thiruvannamalai (Annamaliayar) Temple was built before 1100 years & architecture of the temple has its contribution from various KINGDOM from Cholas, Pandias, Sambuvarayars Posalas, Vijayanagara, Nayaks, Nagarathargal, Cheftains & Zamindars. The Temple possesses more than

1000 statues & 450 stone inscriptions. The temple has more than 100 sannidhis. Various idols, bronze moorthies, paintings, 1000 pillar mahal & gopurams are the specialties of the temple. Temple is very enormous with an area covers around 25 acres & East Gopuram built by

King Krishnadevaraya with a height of 217 ft (11 storeys) is one of the largest Gopuram in India. Temple also consists of Vallala Maharaja Gopuram, Kili Gopuram. The main deity of Temple is Annamalaiyar & Unnamalai Devi. Ezhuthu Mandap situated in Girivalam path is an excellent

art gallery. Skanthashram, Sri Ramana Ashram & Ashtalingas around the Girivalam path are few notable spots. Temple is Built in the traditional Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is believed to be the 8th largest Hindu temple in the world. This Temple is believed to one

of the Pancha Bootha in South India, where elements of nature (fire, air, water, earth, ether) are worshiped. In this mountain-temple town, situate at the foothills of Mount Arunachala, Mahadev Shiva is worshiped in his fire avatar. The town is sprawled around the iconic

Arunachaleswarar Temple, a spectacular structure boasting 4 huge Gopurams. On full moon nights, the town sees a sea of devotees arriving to perform the 14-km walk of Girivalam, around the Annamalai hill. It is a mesmeric sight to see barefoot devotees gazing at the temple atop

the hill & walking while chanting “Om Arunachala". Karthigai Deepam festival is celebrated on full moon day in the Tamil month of Karthigai (Nov/Dec) & draws huge footfalls. Girivalam is a popular religious practice in TN, devotees does Pradakshina around the annamalai Hill on

the occasion of full moon every month Giri+Valam (means Doing Pradakshina around the hill). The practice is said to bring peace to one's mental & physical health. The Temple has 8 lingams known as Ashtalingam which are positioned at different locations facing different directions

These lingams are named as: Indralingam(East), Agnilingam(SouthEast), Yamalingam(South), Niruthilingam(southwest), Varunalingam(West), Vayulingam(northwest), Kuberlingam(North) & Esanyalingam(NorthEast). Each lingam signifies different directions of the Earth & is believed to

bless the devotees who undertake Girivalam, with various benefits. Girivalam is usually practiced barefoot & chant Om Arunachala mantra. The best time to undertake the 14 km journey around the hill is during early morning hours, starting from 4.30AM. It usually takes 3-4 hrs to

complete the round at an average pace. This practice is akin to the Govardhan Parikrama taken by devotees in #Mathura , #UttarPradesh
#Tiruvannamalai #Girivalam #TamilNaduTemples #SanatanaDharma #SanatanaSanskriti #Sattology #FreeHinduTemples #FreeTNTemples #architecture

Pic Credit: @arunprasadnag @SiddharthMural6 @sr6229 Google & flickr (To respective owners)