Tiruvannamalai Temple Timings – Annamalaiyar Darshan

The Annamalaiyar Temple in Thiruvannamalai, Tamilnadu, considered to be one of the biggest temples in the country, is one of the famous temples in south India. Significant to the Hindu sect of Shaivism, the Annamalaiyar Temple is considered to be associated with the Fire (Agni), one of the five elements of the Pancha Bhoota Stalas. The extravagant temple, nestling at the base of Annamalai Hills in Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

The elaborately decorated shrines and halls within the entire temple are sure to take your breath away with its beauty. A 66 m tall tower and the thousand-pillared hall spread across the temple complex. The best time to visit the temple is between November and March. Let’s See the Thiruvannamalai temple timings, history and architecture in detail

The shrine it houses:

• Lord Shiva is worshipped as Arunachalesvara or Annamalaiyar here.
• The lord is represented by the lingam and is referred to as Agni lingam.
• The shrine is accompanied by his wife Parvati, depicted as Unnamalai Amman.
• The Tamil Shaiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars generously patronized the presiding God in the 7th century.
• It is classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam. The 9th century Shaiva saint-poet Manikkavasagar composed the Tiruvempaavai here.

A Brief History:

The present magnificent structure was built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century. Later, it is believed to be expanded by Vijayanagara rulers of the Sangama Dynasty the Saluva Dynasty, and the Tuluva Dynasty respectively in their times of rule.

• The temple received various offerings and gifts from the kinds presiding of the city of Thiruvannamalai.
• The town including the temple came under the dominion of the Nawab of the Carnatic during the 17th century CE

Let’s talk about the magnificent architecture :

This historic temple runs over an area of 10 hectares and houses four gateway towers known as Gopurams. It is one of the largest temples in India and is packed with marvelous architectural brilliance.

• The temple faces east.
• The walls on the east and west both measure 700 ft, the south wall measures 1,479 ft and the north 1,590 ft.
• The eastern tower of the four Gopurams, the Rajagopuram, made of granite, is the tallest in the temple, measuring 135 ft by 98 ft
• The west one is called Pei Gopuram, Ammani Amman gourami is the one that is situated in the north, and the south tower is called Thirumanjangopuram
• The temple has a total of five boundaries, which holds a vast Nandi, the sacred bull of Shiva each
• The oldest structure in the temple is the shrine of Arunachaleswarar that faces east, housing images of Nandi and Surya
• The temple has images of Venugopalaswamy, an incarnation of Vishnu, Durga, Arumugaswami, Somaskandar, Nataraja, Chandekeswarar, Gajalakshmi, Dakshinamoorthy, Swarnabairavar, and Lingodbhavar- Shiva emanating from the lingam

Tiruvannamalai Arunachaleshwarar Temple Morning opening Time:

Temple opens at 5 am Daily, and darshan starts from 5.30 am To 12:30 pm.

Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleshwarar Temple Evening Opening Time:

Evening Temple Opened at 3:30 pm and closed at 9:30 pm. 

Tiruvannamalai Temple Pooja Timings:

The temple opens at 5.30 AM, and the darshan timing is from 6.00 AM to 9.00 PM. The party of priests performs the puja rituals six times a day on dedicated timings. Panchaparuva puja, special puja ceremonies namely, Amavasai, Kiruthigai, Pradosham, Pournami, Sathurthi, Sukravaram, and Somavaram are performed as well. The timings on Sunday may or may not vary.

Ukshakala Pooja Held at – 5.30 am

Kala Santhi Pooja Held at – 08.00 am

Ukshakala Pooja Held at – 11.30 am

Sayaratchai Pooja Held at – 05.30 pm

Irandam Kala Pooja Held at – 07.30 pm

Arthajama Pooja Held at – 09.00 pm 

*Above is the Regular day Tiruvannamalai temple Timings schedule; it may change on special days like Pradosham, Amavasai, Pournami(Girivalam), Kiruthigai, Chaturthi, etc.. 

Know about the Puja fees details:

• Swami Amman Milk Abishekam- Rs. 1000/-, Timing: 6.30am, 9.00pm
• Swami Amman Special Abishekam, Rs. 2500/-, Timing: 6.30am, 9.00pm
• Vinayagar, Swami, Amman Special Abishekam, Rs. 3000/-
• Panchamoorthigal Abishekam (Vinayagar, Swami, Amman, Subramanian, and Chandikeswarar), Rs. 4500/- Timing: 8.30 AM, 10.30 AM
• Parivara Moorthi Sannathi Milk Abishekam, Rs. 1000/-, Timing: 6.30AM, 8.30AM, 10.30
• Thirukkalyana Utsavam Special Abishekam Pooj- Rs. 8500/-
• 1008 Sangu Pooja Special Abishekam- Rs. 10000/-
• Mahanyasam with Special Pooja- Rs. 5000/-
• Anna Dhanam (for 100 persons for one day) during Darshan Timings– 2500/-

Festivals of Thiruvannamalai Temple:

The temple celebrates four prime festivals- the Brahmotsavam, an annual celebration. The most important of these last ten days between November and December, concluding with the celebration of Karthikai Deepam. The Karthikai Deepam is a ritual where a large lamp is lit in a cauldron, containing three tons of ghee, at the top of the Arunachala hills and an image of Arunachalesvara is taken around the wooden chariot around the mountain. Another tourist attraction is the festival of Tiruvoodal. The Tiruvannamalai temple timings may vary during the times of the festivals.

Karthikai Brahmotsavam and Karthikai Deepam:

Every Year Karthikai Brahmotsavam 10 days festival celebrated in the month of Karthikai(November and December). As a part of the festival, Karthikai Maha Deepam lit on the top of the Thiruvannamalai Hill.

Video Credits: Dinakaran Daily

Girivalam:

The significance of the full moon:

During the timings on pournami, every full moon, and on the day of yearly Chitra Pournami, the temple sees a pool of pilgrims and worshippers being attracted to this spectacular religious destination. The devotees perform the Girivalam, where they scale the Arunachala hill barefoot covering a distance of 14 kilometers to offer their devotion to Arunachalesvara.

Shivarathri:

Like all other Shiva Temples, Thiruvannamalai Annamalai temple is also famous for Shivarathri. The whole night celebrated with light, songs, dance, and Poojas.

Transportation to Thiruvannamalai Temple:

A lot of local transport is available, which helps you reach the temple easily.

Nearest Airport : Chennai

Nearest Railway station: Thiruvannamalai Railway station and Katpadi Railway Junction

Thiruvannamalai Dress Code:

No Specific dress code given, But always wear decent outfits, preferably Dhotis, Sarees, and Churidars. Never wear short or transparent cloths inside the temple.

Thiruvannamalai Temple Accommodation :

The temple authorities have accommodation facilities at a nominal cost:

• Rest houses- Rs. 400 and Rs. 300 per day.
• Rooms at Appar Illam-Rs. 250 per day.
• Rooms at Unnamulai Amman Rest House- 250 for Double room and Rs.100 for Single room per one day stay.

Apart from this, you will get comfortable private accommodation in and around the temple.

Contact: The contact number of the temple authorities is 04175-252438

Location Map