dhams and sacred places
What is the Tiruvannamalai Girivalam and what is the significance of walking around Arunachala?
What the hill is believed to be
Arunachala is not just a hill in the ordinary sense. Puranic tradition, recorded in the Skanda Purana's Arunachala Mahatmya, says that Arunachala is Shiva himself, standing as a column of fire. This makes it different from most sacred sites, where a deity is worshipped inside a temple. Here, the hill itself is the deity. Circumambulating it, walking all the way around it, is therefore seen as walking around Shiva in his most ancient and direct form. The walk is called Girivalam, from the Tamil words for hill and going around.
A place of long devotion
Tiruvannamalai has drawn pilgrims for a very long time. The great saint Ramana Maharshi, who lived on and around Arunachala for most of his life, spoke of the hill as having a living spiritual presence. He walked the Girivalam himself and described the hill as a teacher. His presence deepened the site's reputation across India and beyond. Many people today come partly because of the tradition he kept alive there.
The walk itself
The path is about fourteen kilometres and is traditionally done barefoot. Walking barefoot on the earth around a sacred site is seen as an act of humility and surrender. Along the route there are smaller shrines and sacred tanks. People walk at their own pace, some in silence, some chanting. The full moon night of Karthigai Pournami, which falls in the Tamil month of Karthigai, draws the largest crowds. On that night a great flame is lit on the top of the hill, visible for miles around. This is the Karthigai Deepam, and it is understood as Shiva's fire form made visible. The sight of it is considered deeply auspicious.
Today
People from across India and from many countries walk the Girivalam every month, especially on full moon nights. Some come once in a lifetime. Others come regularly. The path is now well maintained, and the town of Tiruvannamalai has grown around the pilgrimage. Families walk together, individuals walk alone, and the mood on the path ranges from quiet and meditative to festive and communal. The experience means different things to different people, but the shared thread is the hill itself and what the tradition says it holds.