Thiruvannamalai

Arunachala, the hill above the town, is one of the five elemental Shiva sites, representing fire, and it is not merely a location for worship but the object of it: on every full moon, hundreds of thousands of people walk the girivalam, a fourteen-kilometre barefoot circuit of the hill on a road lined with shrines and lingams. The Annamalaiyar temple at its foot covers around ten hectares with a gopuram of about sixty-six metres. At Karthigai Deepam in November or December, a cauldron of ghee is lit on the summit and burns for days, visible for many kilometres. Ramana Maharshi's ashram stands on the circuit road.

What you actually see

• The girivalam - a fourteen-kilometre barefoot circuit of the hill.
• Annamalaiyar temple - a ten-hectare complex with a sixty-six metre gopuram.
• The Deepam flame - a ghee fire lit on the summit, burning for days.
• Ramana ashram - the ashram on the circuit road, with meditation halls.

When to go

November to February; full moon nights bring the largest girivalam crowds, and Karthigai Deepam in November or December brings hundreds of thousands more. Summer is severe for barefoot walking.

Honest expectations

The girivalam is fourteen kilometres barefoot on tarmac and takes four to six hours; feet suffer. Full moon crowds are extreme. Climbing the hill itself is discouraged and has caused deaths from heat.

Nearby

Gingee fort lies east; Chennai is northeast.