Tiruvannamalai is a town in the state
of Tamil Nadu in India situated 185 km from Chennai/Madras.
It is the headquarters of the Tiruvannamalai district.
The town is a pilgrimage site, known for its
Arunachaleswara Temple, located at the foot of a hill.
The annual ten-day Karthigai Deepam festival
is celebrated in Karthigai Tamil month (November - December).
The tenth day is the major festival day, where at the top
of the hill, many lamps made of a wick in ghee are lit.
Every month on the day of the full moon many
devotees worship Shiva by walking around the hill barefoot,
a distance of about fifteen kilometres. There are eight
lingams and many mandapas, or holy tanks, around the Arunachala
hill.
Tiruvannamalai is also the place where
the great Advaita Vedanta guru Bhagwan Ramana Maharishi
lived from about 1900 until his mahasamadhi, or death, in
1950. A very tranquil ashram by the name of Ramanashramam
is near a hill called Arunachala on the west side of town.
The ashram has cows, monkeys dogs, and peacocks (including
an albino), reflecting Ramana Maharshi's love for animals.
There is also a large silent meditation hall, a cafeteria,
a bookstore, and rooms for devotees to stay in. Food is
provided daily by the ashram to the long line of villagers
who come asking for it.
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