Meevy

The Skanda Purana declares, “That is the holy place. Of all, Arunachala is the most sacred. It is the heart of the world. Know it to be the secret and sacred heart-center of Siva.”

Tiruvannamalai is located near Villupuram in the state of Tamilnadu in India. There lies the sacred hill Arunachala. The hill is nothing but the form of Siva himself.

Before worshipping Siva and Parvathi people walk around the hill once (called girivalam). It takes four hours approximately. There are many small temples on the way. On the day of full moon every month people use to walk around the hill. It stretches to around 16 kilometers. The girivalam path surrounds the sacred hill Arunachala.

There is a story behind the formation of this hill. Once Vishnu and Brahma had a dispute, who between them was greater. This created problems in the earth. Hence Devas went to Siva and asked him to settle the dispute. Siva obliged and manifested himself as a column of light. Shiva told that whoever could find its upper and lower end was greater.

Brahma took the form of a swan and went upwards to seek its summit. While Vishnu took the form of a boar and went deep into the earth to find the base.

Brahma tried to reach Shiva’s head but he found it very difficult. He came across a flower which was falling from Shiva’s head. Since Brahma couldn’t reach Shiva’s head he asked the flower to lie that he had seen Shiva’s head and the flower agreed too. Poor Brahma didn’t know that Shiva knows everything which was happening.

Brahma went to Shiva and admitted with happiness that he saw his head and the flower is the witness for it. Shiva got very angry and cursed both Brahma and the flower. The curse was that the Brahma would not have any temple in the world and the flower would not be used for doing pooja. Since then Brahma had no temple in the earth and also thaazampoo (a type of flower) is not used for doing poojas.

On the other hand Vishnu also tried hard to reach the toes of Lord Shiva but in vain. He also admitted his failure to Lord Shiva. Immediately Shiva praised Lord Vishnu for being truthful.

This great incident happened only in Tiruvannamalai (gallery). The Arunachala Mountain is itself Lord Shiva. Shiva said, “Of all the holy places, Arunachala is the holiest. Arunachala is OM itself. I shall appear on the top of this hill in the form of Jothi every year at Karthigai Deepam day.”

Jnana Sambandha, one among the Nayanmars says,

“On the hill Arunachala, little animals like deer, bears and pigs along with big ones like elephants roam about fearlessly. Here Lord Arunachala abides as Supreme knowledge, sanctified with the holy name Annamalai and blesses His devotees with his characteristically unfailing grace by removing their shortcomings.”

Adhi Sankara equates Arunachala to Shivalogam (where Shiva lives). Sri Ramana Maharishi in his “Eight Stanzas on Sri Arunachala” says,

“The water rise up from the sea as clouds, then fall as rain and run back to the sea in streams; nothing can keep them from returning to their source. Likewise the soul rising up from Thee cannot be kept from joining Thee again, although it turns in many eddies on its way. A bird which rises from the earth and soars in to the sky can find no place of rest in mid-air but must return again to earth. So indeed must all retrace their path, and when the soul finds the way back to its source, it will sink and be merged in Thee, O Arunachala, Thou Ocean of Bliss!”