Sri Arunachaleswara Swamy Temple is the most famous temple among Shaivate temples in Tamil Nadu. One of the PanchaBootha Shivalinga Sthalams in Indian sub-continent, Sri Arunachaleswara Temple in Tiruvannamalai is important for every pilgrim in India. Many people who have visited Sri Ramana Ashram & Tiruvannamalai Shiva Temple, the found a spiritual awakening in their life. Many Businessmen and celebrities visit the Tiruvannamalai Arunachalam hill and perform one Giri Pradakshina on Every purnima Day.

Other than Giri pradakshina there are many attractions & Spiritual Places, Tourist places in & around Tiruvannamalai. Sri Ramana Ashram, Mathrubhutheswara Lingam Temple, Sri Arunachala Hill, Skanda Ashram & Virupaksha Caves etc are most notable places. But we will explore the area wise near & easy places of interest in Tiruvannamalai.

Temples List to visit in Arunachalam – Tiruvannnamalai:

Sri Aruanchaleswara Swamy Temple

Skhandha Ashram

Virupaksha Caves.

Sri Ramana Ashram – Meditation hall, Library, Mahasamadhi.

Matrubutheswara Lingam Temple.

Sri Annamalayar or Arunachleswara Swamy Temple in Tiruvannamalai Town is becoming the biggest Shivate temple in Southern India. Pilgrims Who are traveling to Tirumala, Sabarimala, Kanchipuram & Rameswaram etc are visting Arunachalam Temple compulsory. Since its prominence has grown to new heights by the Monthly Purnima Giri Pradakshina by devotees around Arunachala Hill, The temple attracts 40,000 devotees on regular week days & 2 to 3 lak devotees on Purnima Girivalam dates.

Tamil Nadu State government is excellent in management of Temple Darshan, Arjitha Seva & Puja tickets issuing in advance, celebrating Arunachaleswara Swamy Temple rituals, Pujas & Festivals as per Shaiva Aagama Sastra. Every year karthigai Deepotsavam Festival is celebrated for 11 days starting with Ankuraarpana and ends with Karthika Jyoti lighting.

Sri Arunachaleswara Swamy Temple Important Festivals 2026 List:

Arunachalam Temple Month Wise Calendar & Dates 2026:

Festivals in January 2026:

Festivals in February 2026:

Festivals in March 2026:

Festivals in April 2026:

Festivals in May 2026:

Festivals in June 2026:

Festivals in July 2026:

Festivals in August 2026:

Festivals in September 2026:

Festivals in October 2026:

Festivals in November 2026:

Festivals in December 2026:

Daily Puja Timings & Sri Arunachaleswara Temple Opening & Closing Schedule:

Arunachaleswara Swamy Temple Main Door Opens @ 03:45 AM every day.

Arunachalam Temple Closing Dates for 2026:

Tiruvannamalai Temple is one of the Pancha Bootha Linga Temples in India. It is also closed on Eclipse days as per Shastras. Temple is closed on both Solar & Lunar Eclipse.

Baghavan Sri Ramana Maharshi was the highest and most sacred sadguru of modern India and he is the one who realized the God with in him and attained siddhi in Tiruvannamalai. Sri Ramana in his discourses to disciples always reminded about the greatness of Sri Arunachaleswara Hill Girivalam or Giri Pradakshina, Self realization & practicing Ahimsha, Yoga, Advaita & Sanatana lifestyle.

Sri Ramana Maharshi was the name given by Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni a saint & Sanskrit Scholar who visited his place in search of wisdom & spiritual knowledge. Venkataraman was the name given by the parents of Sri Ramana and he felt highly moved by the word Arunachalam from his uncle who visited him from Tiruvannamalai trip.

Previously Sri Ramana was in deep medidation under the basement of Annamalayar temple in Tiruvannamalai & he was found by Seshadri Swamy and other sages in Patala Lingam Vault. The present day Ramanshram was a Mango orchard around the Samadhi of Sri Ramana’s Mother and a Shiva Lingam called Matrubhuteshvara Lingam was installed in her memory. The trust and management later developed a lot and Sri Ramana Stayed in this ashram till his Liberation or Moksha.

Sri Ramana Ashram – Puja & Samadhi Darshan daily Schedule & Timings:

Ashram Gate Morning Opening Time : 05:30 AM

Parayana of Aksharamanamalai : 06:00 AM

Sri Bhagavan Shrine Milk Offering by devotees : 06:45 AM

Nitya Veda Parayana by scholars : 08:00 AM

Sri Ramana Maharshi Samadhi Nitya Puja : 08:30 to 09:45 AM

Narayana Seva (Anna Samarpana for Sadhus) : 09:45 AM

Samadhi & Mothers Hall closed from 11:30 AM to 02:00 PM

Grandha or Book Parayana in Tamil : 04:00 PM

Book Reading in English : 04:30 PM

Evening Veda Parayana : 05:00 PM

Evening Puja for Sri Ramana Samadhi : 05:00 to 05:45 PM

Tamil Books parayana & Satsangs : 06:00 PM

Ashram Main Gate Closed at : 08:30 PM

Sri Ramana Ashram Food Canteen & Annadanam Dining Hall Timings:

The ashram trust board offers Satvika Southern Indian Style breakfast & lunch for devotees since its conception. Sri Ramana Ashram also maintains RO purified water in the premises of ashram year round.

Morning Quota Breakfast for all Devotees: 07:00 AM

Afternoon Lunch for Devotees : 11:30 AM to 02:00 PM

Evening Snacks & Tea, Beverages Serving : 04:00 PM

Night Dinner in Dining Hall : 07:00 PM

Ramana Ashram Event Calendar 2026 Important Festivals & Celebrations:

Sri Ramana Baghavan Jayanti –

Special Abhsekham, Maha Pooja, Maha Biksha Samarpana

Pongal – Sankranti which comes in January month after crops harvesting.

Maha Shivaratri – Ekadasa Rudhrabhishekam & Special Pujas.

Sri Vidya Homam or Havan : Full Day homam reciting and empowering the Mathrubhuteswara Mahameru chakra.

Ramana Maharshi Aaradhana : Sri Ramana’s Mahasamadhi or Nirvana day anniversary is celebrated with Special Abhisekam, Puja & Bhiksha.

Mathrubhuteswara Maha Puja: Special Puja on Bhagavan Rama Maharshi Mother’s maha samadhi day.

Guru Purnima or Vyasa Purnima: Special revere of every person Guru living or enlightened.

Bhagavans Arrival to Tiruvannamalai day.

Dussera Sarannavaratri – 9 days dedicated for Divine mother worship with special decorations, pujas, processions & Vahanasevas around Ashram Temple complex.

Kartikai Deepam or Karthika Jyoti Festival : Special celebrations in Ashram, Jyoti lighting on Arunachala Peak. Check Tiruvannamalai Karthikai Deepam Festival 2026

Sri Ramana Ashram Office Timings:

Meditation Hall Morning Timings : 04:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Meditation Hall Evening Timings : 02:00 PM to 09:00 PM

Baghavan’s Book Stall : 08:00 AM to 11:00 AM (Morning), 02:00 PM to 06:00 PM (Afternoon)

Accommodation Reception Office : 07:30 Am – 12:30 PM, 02:00 PM to 06:30 PM

Cash & Accounts Department : 07:30 AM to 12:30 PM, 02:00 PM to 05:30 PM

Free Dispensary : 08 AM to 11 AM (Except Sunday)

Sadguru Yogiraja Bagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi was the greatest monk or Spiritual guide in recent centuries. He got enlightend during his visit to Aurnachala Hill in Tiruvaannamalai. Spiritual seekers often visit Arunachala Hill every year to get divine blessings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. A big Ashram complex was constructed by Guru Ramana Ashram Trust for daily maintenance of Sri Ramana Devotees.

Free food and free library for enlightenment was available to devotees who book Free Accommodaiton Online in advance. Many NRI devotees, Spiritual Thinkers & Advaita philosophers found many answers to their soul twisting questions at the feet of Sri Bagavan Ramana Maharshi during meditation. There are many foreign visitors often have a stay for 4 to 21 days to meditate and practice their inner thinking.

Requirements for Sri Ramana Ashramam Rooms Online Booking:

A working Mobile number & email address for profile Login user Registration. The official website is stay.gururamana.org or visit Gururamana.org for complete information.

Proper ID proof for Indian citizens issued by government of India like PAN card, Aadhar Card, Driving License, Passport & Govt. Issued ID card.

Hard copy of the ID card should be produced for ID Verification & Check-in, check-out of accommodation.

How to Check Sri Ramana Ashram Rooms Availability Online?

Visit stay.gururamana.org website and select Accommodation tab. Read the instructions, Terms & Conditions carefully before going to check the availability calendar.

Now accept the terms & Conditions for accessing the booking page, Enter your Email address & password.

If you are a first time visitor, a profile creation & login user registration need to be done. Select Register login option and create a user ID for accessing Sri Ramana Ashram Rooms Online Booking.

For Foreign nationals 14 days maximum stay is allowed in single visit and they must clearly describe their nature, purpose of visit & Stay.

The standard check-in time for Ashram is 07:30 AM to 12:30 PM, 02:30 PM to 06:30 PM every day.

Steps to Book Sri Ramana Ashram Rooms in Arunachalam Tiruvannamalai:

Login with your user name, Password and Verify your Mobile number, Email Address with OTP verification & Verification Link.

Now Select the “Already a User Click Here to Login”, and select My Dashboard option. Now Select Submit a Stay Request.

Now choose the nature of booking, Stay request for Self or Others. Select a option in CATEGORY of VISITORS LIST.

The accommodation is provided as per the policy and priority of Sri Ramana Ashram Reservation guidelines.

Now choose the correct option opted for you, Proceed to enter the number of days to stay. Select the dates which are available in calender to confirm the booking. Single day or Single night stay is not allowed. Minimum contracted stay is 3 days for significant experience.

The Stay request is recorded once you fill all the details of guests who are appearing for accommodation. Visitors must upload their Aadhar ID card, Passport Size photo for online verification of Accommodation Request.

After validation people can expect Sri Ramana Ashram to verify and give reply in 2 working days.

Tiruvannamalai will be most cheerful and most celebrated in the month of Karthika Maasam or Karthigai Maasa. Generally after Diwali festival Sri Arunachaleswara temple is started with Kartika Maasa celebrations. Annamalai swamy was worshiped specially by lighting a small ghee deepam or diya in temple premises by devotees. As Arunachala hill is the living embodiment of Lord Annamalayar swamy, A jyoti is lit every year on Purnima day of Karthika maasa.

Speciality of Arunachalam Karthika Jyoti Darshan & Giri Pradakshinam:

Arulmigu Arunachaleswara swamy was the supreme light of knowledge and he is the Fire element shiva linga in the whole world. Karthika maasam is considered most auspicious for Lord Shiva & Vishnu worship. Previously on every purnima day or Full moon day in Karthika month a special celebration is conducted before Giri Pradakshina starting. On the early hours of purnima day, a huge deepam made with cotton wicks of huge proportions & 1000 kg of Cow ghee is placed on top of Arunachala Hill.

At the specific time the light is started and a divine glaze is radiated by the Arunachalam Karthika Deepam. Once the deepam is started the giri pradakshina is commenced officially on the day. Around 50 to 70 lak people appear for Arunachalam Karthika Jyoti Darshan and Giri Pradakshinam.

Arunachalam karthika Deepam Darshan – Giri Pradakshina Date 2026:

Karthika Maasam or karthikai Maasa will start from the next day of Diwali festival. Tiruvannamali Temple will celebrate special brahmotsavams of Siddhars, Sri Ganapati, Subramanya swamy, Arunachaleswara & Sri unnamulaiyamai. The grand procession ends with ThiruKarthigai Deepam or Karthika Deepotsavam festival.

Date of Arunachala Thiru Karthika Deepam festival is : December 3rd

Timings of Karthika Deepam Darshanam: 04:00 AM morning to 04:30 AM

No of Devotees appear for Karthia Deepam Darshan: 2 to 5 Million.

Giri Pradakshinam Starting Time: 04:30 AM on November 5 2025

Temple Darshan Queue time: 4 to 12 hours approximately

Tiruvannamalai Arunachalam Karthigai Deepam Festival Celebrations 2026 Schedule:

Sri Arunachaleswara Swamy Karthigai Deepam festival is also known as Tiruvannamalai Brahmotsavams. It is observed for 10 straight days before the Karthika Deepam day in November or December every year. Special Vahana Sevas, Pallaki & Theru etc are organized as per temple Agama Sastras & Tamil Calender dates. There are Five important deities in Tiruvannamalai Temple. Sri Ganapathi, Sri Murgan, Sri Sandeswarar, Sri Arunachaleswara (Annamalayar) & Sri Maha Parvathi idols are taken out for every day during Brahmotsavams.

The crowd and devotees participation might be 4 to 5 million on Girivalam day & Karthigai Maha Deepam day in Tiruvannamalai. First time visiting Tourists must be careful & book proper accommodations during their visit in Brahmotsavams schedule.

Lord Arunachalaeswara Swamy or Tiruvannamali temple is the protector of millions of people every instant. Since the trend of Giri Pradakshina was propagated in Social Media by Scholars and Devotees experience spiked the mass influx of Devotees every month. The basic infrastructure of all the Giri Pradakshina Route is paved with best flooring, Running Water, Sanitation facilities & Special Resting places like Benches & Rest areas by temple trust board. Let us know the list of important Temples to cover during Giri pradakshina performing & places to visit around Arunachaleswara Hill.

Temples to visit during Arunachala Giri Pradakshina:

The total route of Giri Pradakshina road is 14 to 15 Km approximately. The Arunachala Hill is also called as Dakshina Kailasa parvatam and the hill is considered as a form of Lord Shiva linga. The main temples around Arunachalam Hill are 8 Asta Dikpalaka Pratista temples.

Thirthams list in Arunachalam Giri Pradakshina Route:

Thirthams are the natural water springs or ponds which are formed by the water flowing form Arunachala Hill and Many Rishis, Sadhus practice their Yoga near them for daily rituals. The natural water sources which have very high spiritual powers because of Yogis and Rishis using them. So taking a dip in Theerthams & Drinking the water will remove harmful negative effects reside in our body.

Ashrams & Mutts to Visit in Arunachalam Giri Pradakshina Road:

Ramana Ashram is the most important place after Sri Annamalayar Temple to visit in Tiruvannamalai. Arunachala Yatra & Giri Pradakshina is started by Bagavan Ramana Maharshi. He regularly performed Girivalam with his disciples and explained a lot about the significance & spiritualness of Arunachala Hill during his time. He even practiced his tapas on Arunachala hill for many years. So visiting the ashrams surrounding arunachala hill is very good for getting blessings from holy people.

Ramanashram

Gautham Ashram

Pachhaiamman Shrine

Eesanya Matam

Jadaswami Ashram

Skanda Ashram

Guru Matam

Seshadri Swamy Ashram

See Arunachalam Giri Pradakshina Route Map HD Image

Arunachaleswara Swamy or Sri Annamalayar is the most revered shiva temple in Southern India. Millions of Devotees from Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu are flocking every Purnami Day for performing Giri Pradakshina. The huge gathering of devotees is pushing the darshan limits and Q line strength to the brim and breaking point. So Many Privileged Devotees are often seeking a VIP break darshan of Lord Arunachaleswara Swamy like Tirumala or Kashi.

The Temple management of Tickets Online booking is managed by Tamil Nadu Endowment Ministry in hrce.tn.gov.in website. At present different services including Special Entry Darshan, Archana, Aarti & Rudhrabhishekam, Special Pujas at different inner temples. VIP break darshan is not specifically provided for online advance booking by Temple Trust.

Arunachalam Temple VIP Break Darshan – Requirements:

People coming from Privileaged backgrounds like Govt. Officers above Grade 1, Judicial Department, Home Affairs & Various high positions in Indian Government need to intimate the Temple EO office before 4 to 7 days for making preparations for their visit.

Tiruvannamali like Tirumala Does not provide donation schemes & Special Entry Darshan. But A group of 6 members are allowed for Inner temple darshan & Aarti, Abhishekam who availed Rudhrabhishekam Tickets in hrce.tn.gov.in website.

The temple staff will provide escorted darshan service based on Protocol level of the individual who visited the temple.