Shiva is worshiped as Arunachalesvara or Annamalaiyar and is represented by the lingam, his idol being called Agni lingam. His Parvati consort is portrayed as Unnamalai Amman. In the canonical work of Tamil Saiva of the 7th century, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars and graded as Paadal Petra Sthalam, the presiding deity is venerated. Here the Tiruvempavai wrote the 9th century Saiva saint poet Manikkavasagar.The present masonry structure was built in the 9th century during the Chola dynasty, while later expansions are attributed to Sangama Dynasty (1336–1485 CE), Saluva Dynasty, and Tuluva Dynasty (1491–1570 CE) rulers of the Vijayanagara. The temple is maintained and administered by the Government of Tamil Nadu's Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.
In Hindu mythology, Parvati, wife of Shiva, once closed the eyes of her husband playfully in a flower garden at their abode atop Mount Kailash. Although only a moment for the gods, all light was taken from the universe, and the earth, in turn, was submerged in darkness for years. Parvati, along with other Shiva devotees, practiced penance. Then, her husband appeared as a column of fire on top of the hills of Arunachala, bringing light back to the world. He then merged with Parvati to form Ardhanarishvara, Shiva 's half-female, semi-male form.The Arunachala, or red mountain, lies behind the temple of Arunachalesvara, and is associated with its namesake temple. The hill itself is sacred and considered a lingam, or iconic representation of Shiva.
Nayanar saints Sambandar and Appar in their poetic work, Tevaram, wrote of the temple in the 7th century. The author of the Periyapuranam, Sekkizhar, wrote that both Appar and Sambandar worshiped Arunachalesvara in the temple. The Chola Kings ruled the area for more than four centuries, from 850 CE to 1280 CE, and were patrons of temples. The Chola King inscriptions record various gifts such as land, goats, donkey, and oil to the temple commemorating the dynasty 's numerous victories. Starting in 1328 CE, the Hoysala kings used Tiruvannamalai as their capital.There are 48 inscriptions of the Sangama Dynasty (1336–1485 CE), 2 inscriptions of the Saluva Dynasty, and 55 inscriptions of the Vijayanagara Empire of the Tuluva Dynasty (1491–1570 CE), representing gifts of their rulers to the temple.
There are also inscriptions from the reign of Krishnadeva Raya (1509–1529 CE), the most powerful king of Vijayanagara, suggesting more patronage. Most of the inscriptions of Vijayanagara were written in Tamil, some in Kannada and Sanskrit. The inscriptions in the temple of the kings of Vijayanagara suggest focus on administrative matters and local issues, contrasting with the inscriptions of the sa. Most gift-related inscriptions are for land endowments, followed by merchandise, cash endowments, cows, and lighting lamp oil.During the Vijayanagara Empire, the town of Tiruvannamalai was at a strategic crossroads connecting sacred pilgrimage centers and military routes. There are inscriptions showing the area as an urban center prior to the precolonial period, with the town developing around the temple.
The temple along with the town of Tiruvannamalai came under the dominion of the Carnatic Nawab during the 17th century CE. As the Mughal empire came to an end, the Nawab lost control of the city, with confusion and chaos following after 1753. There were subsequently periods of both Hindu and Muslim temple stewardship, with Muraru Raya, Krishna Raya, Mrithis Ali Khan and Burkat Ullakhan successively besieging the temple. As European incursions rose, French Soupries, Sambrinet, and the English Captain Stephen Smith assaulted Tiruvannamalai.Although some were repelled, others triumphed. The French conquered the town in 1757, and the temple, along with the town, came under British British control in 1760. Tiruvannamalai town was captured in 1790 CE by Tippu Sultan, who ruled from 1750–99 CE. During the first half of the 19th century the town and the temple came under British rule. From 1951, the temple was maintained by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Tamil Nadu government under the provisions of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act.
In 2002, India's Archeological Survey declared the temple a national heritage monument and assumed its stewardship. However, intense protests and lawsuits with India's Supreme Court led the Archeological Survey to restore the temple to the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board.
Architecture of Annamalaiyar Temple
The temple is situated at the bottom of the hills of Arunachala, facing east over 25 hectares. The walls on the east and west are 700 ft, 1,479 ft south and 1,590 ft north. The present masonry and towers date back to the 9th century CE, as seen from an inscription in the structure created by Kings of Chola who ruled then. Further inscriptions indicate that Tiruvannamalai was under the Pallava Kings, who ruled from Kanchipuram prior to the 9th century.At its four sides, it has four gateway towers, the gopuram. The east tower of the temple, the Rajagopuram, is the tallest. It was started by King Krishnadevaraya (1509–29 CE) of the Vijayanagara dynasty, and completed by Sevappa Nayaka (1532–80 CE). The inscriptions indicate that the tower was built at the behest of Sivanesa and his brother Lokanatha in 1572 CE. Thirumanjangopuram is called the south tower, and Pei Gopuram is named the west. In the north gourami Ammani Ammani. The towers are also described by the Raghunathabhyudayam and Sangitha Sudha, both Nayak scriptures.The Tanjavuri Andhra Raja Charitamu mentions that Krishnadevaraya was constructing the temple tower and its outer precincts. The temple has five precincts in total, each of which holds a huge Nandi, Shiva 's sacred bull. Towers include the Gopuram Vallala Maharaja and Kili Gopuram, or Tower of Parrots.
Throughout the year the temple celebrates hundreds of festivals. Four prime festivals, the Brahmotsavam, are held annually. The most important of these lasts ten days during Karthikai's Tamil month, between November and December, and ends with Karthikai Deepam 's celebration. During the Deepam, a huge lamp is lit in a cauldron, containing three tons of ghee, on top of the Arunachala hills. To mark the occasion, Arunachalesvara's festival image is taken around the wooden chariot around the mountain. Inscriptions suggest that the festival was celebrated as early as the Chola era and extended in the twentieth century to include ten days.
Every full moon, tens of thousands of pilgrims worship Arunachalesvara through a barefoot circumambulation of the Arunachala hill. The circumambulation covers 14 kilometers (8.7 mi), and is called Girivalam. The walk removes sins, fulfills desires and helps achieve freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth according to Hindu legend. Offerings are made around the hill in a series of ponds, sanctuaries, pillared meditation rooms, wells, and caves. The circumambulation continues throughout the remainder of the month.On the annual Chitra Pournami day, the full moon of the Tamil calendar, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come to worship Arunachalesvara from all over the world. For the procession five temple buses, called ther, are used with wooden carvings.
Tiruvoodal is another festival that is celebrated at mid-January of each year during the first week of the Tamil month Thai. Around 15 and 16 January, on the morning of Maatu Pongal, Nandi is decorated with garlands made from fruits , vegetables and sweets. The Arunachalesvara and Unnamamulai Amman festival deities are taken from the temple to Tiruoodal street to execute the oodal (or love tiff) between the two at night.