Arunachalesvara Temple, Tiruvannamalai
Arunachalesvara Temple is dedicated to God Shiva, located at the base of Arunachala hill in the town of Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, India. This temple is associated with one of the five elements, the Pancha Bhoota Stalas, and specifically the element of fire, or Agni.
Shiva is worshiped as Arunachalesvara and is represented by the lingam, with his idol referred to as Agni lingam. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work - the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.
The temple complex covers 10 hectares and is one of the largest in India. It houses four gateway towers known as gopurams. The tallest is the eastern tower, with 11 stories and a height of 66 metres (217 ft), making it one of the tallest temple towers in India built by Sevappa Nayakkar (Nayakar dynasty) The temple has numerous shrines and houses many halls; the most notable is the thousand-pillared hall built during the Vijayanagar period.
It is 194 km from Chennai and can be travelled easily by car!
