Aura of India: Tiruvannamalai: Girivalam, Temple Timings and Deepam 2026

Arunachala hill at Tiruvannamalai, seen across a lake

Photo: Balu 606902, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Tiruvannamalai, at the foot of Arunachala hill, on an ordinary weekday morning.

Here the hill is the god, and the town walks around it.

A hill above the roofs

Arunachala is not tall as hills go, about 2,668 feet, but it stands alone on the plain, round-shouldered and brown, and every street in town seems to end at it. At its eastern foot lies the Arunachaleswarar temple, also called Annamalaiyar, one of the largest temple complexes in India. Its walls enclose about 25 acres: courtyard inside courtyard, nine gopurams, a thousand-pillared hall and stepped temple tanks. The eastern gateway, the Rajagopuram, rises 217 feet in eleven storeys and is among the tallest temple towers in Tamil Nadu.

Walking around the hill

The way to honour Arunachala is to walk around it. Girivalam, from giri, hill, and valam, going round, follows a road of about 14 km that circles the hill, always clockwise, so the hill stays on the walker’s right. Many go barefoot. Along the way stand the Ashtalingams, eight small shrines at the eight points of the compass, with tanks, ashrams and roadside tea stalls between them.

On an ordinary morning the road is quiet. Walkers set out from the eastern gopuram before dawn, singly or in small groups, and finish before the heat. On the night of each full moon the same road carries lakhs, hundreds of thousands of people, walking until dawn under strings of lights.

Fire, and a lamp on the summit

Tiruvannamalai is one of the five temples where Shiva is worshipped as one of the five elements; here he is fire. The story goes that he appeared as a column of flame with no top and no bottom, which neither Brahma nor Vishnu could measure, and that the hill is that flame grown cool. Inscriptions show a temple here under the Chola kings in the ninth century. Hoysala, Vijayanagara and Nayak rulers added towers and halls, and more than 450 inscriptions survive on its walls.

Once a year the fire returns. On Karthigai Deepam, in the Tamil month of Karthigai, a great lamp is lit on the summit at about six in the evening and seen for miles around. In 2026 the Maha Deepam falls on Tuesday 24 November; regional calendars can shift the date by a day.

Getting there

Tiruvannamalai is about four to five hours by road from Chennai. State buses run often from Chennai, Vellore, Villupuram and Bengaluru. A daily MEMU, a suburban-style train, leaves Chennai Beach at 6 pm and reaches Tiruvannamalai at 11.40 pm by way of Katpadi. Allow a night in town to walk the girivalam at first light.

Karthigai Deepam 2026

In 2026 the temple flag goes up on Sunday 15 November, and each evening the deities ride out round the streets on carved vahanas, mounts of silver and gold. The great chariots are pulled on 21 November. On Tuesday 24 November the Bharani Deepam, a lamp of five flames, is lit inside the temple before dawn. At about six that evening the Maha Deepam is lit on the summit.

Expect very large crowds: in 2025 officials planned for about 40 lakh people, four million. Rooms fill weeks ahead. Devotees were barred from climbing the hill on Deepam day in 2024 and 2025; only the small team that carries up and lights the lamp went, with passes. No order for 2026 had been published by mid-October, so plan on watching from below. Regional calendars can shift festival dates by a day.

The quieter round

On an ordinary day, start at the eastern gopuram at first light and walk south. Near the start of the road is Sri Ramanasramam, the ashram of the sage Ramana Maharshi, who lived at the foot of the hill for more than fifty years; its hall and gardens are open to visitors who keep silence. On the far side, the road turns rural, with fields and open views of the rock.

Tradition asks walkers to keep their eyes on the summit. Back in town, the temple stays open through the afternoon. For another of the state’s great temples, see the Meenakshi temple at Madurai, and the Tamil Nadu guide.

Before you go

Temple hours: 5.30 am to 8 pm without a midday break; on weekends, holidays and full-moon days, entry closes at 7.30 pm.
Phones: allowed in only if switched off, since 11 October 2026; no photographs inside the temple.
The hill: climbing has been banned since a landslip killed seven people in December 2024; keep to the road.
The walk: start at the east gopuram, carry water, and allow three to five hours.
Full moons: the November full moon falls on Deepam day itself, and the December one on 23–24 December; expect the largest crowds.
Shoes: leave them at the gate counters; barefoot walkers should finish before noon.

Halfway round, the town drops out of sight, and there is only the road, the walkers and the hill on your right.

Plan your visit

Entry fee	Free for general darshan, as of October 2026. Paid darshan and offerings: check rates at the counters.
Opening hours	5.30 am to 8 pm daily, no midday closure (HR&CE, as of October 2026). Entry closes at 7.30 pm on weekends, full moons and holidays.
Best time	November to February. For a quiet girivalam, any weekday morning.
How to reach	Four to five hours by road from Chennai, with frequent state buses. Daily MEMU train from Chennai Beach, 6 pm to 11.40 pm.
Nearest airport and station	Chennai International Airport; Tiruvannamalai station, between Katpadi and Villupuram.
Where to stay	Near the temple for an early start, or along the girivalam road near the ashrams.
Dress and rules	Cover shoulders and knees. Phones only if switched off; no photography inside. No climbing the hill.

Open Arunachaleswarar Temple, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu in Google Maps

Questions people ask

When is Karthigai Deepam 2026 at Tiruvannamalai?

The Maha Deepam is lit on the summit at about 6 pm on Tuesday 24 November 2026. The ten-day festival begins with the flag hoisting on 15 November. Regional calendars can shift a date by a day.

How long is the girivalam, and how long does it take?

The road around Arunachala is about 14 km. Most people take three to five hours on foot, longer on full-moon nights when the road is crowded.

Can I climb Arunachala hill?

No. The district has banned climbing since the landslip of December 2024, and forest staff check the paths. Walk the girivalam road instead.

Do I have to walk the girivalam on a full moon?

No. You can walk it on any day. Full-moon nights are the most popular; ordinary mornings are quiet and cooler.

Pages

Tiruvannamalai: Girivalam, Temple Timings and Deepam 2026