Chennai – Thiruvannamalai – Chennai
Start early in the morning from the Capital City of Tamil Nadu, reach the holy city Tiruvannamalai, located at a distance of 200km, which you can reach in five hours drive.
Visit the popular Arunachaleswarar Temple, one of the holiest temples in Hinduism. Visit the Ashrams nearby, drive back to Chennai.
Chennai
The one day tour covering Chennai and Tiruvannamalai gives you options to explore the rich history and culture of both cities. The prominent attractions of Chennai are the Marina Beach, Government Museum and the temples dotted across the city.
Starting from Chennai at early morning can help you reach Tiruvannamalai within five hours. The center of attraction in Tiruvannamalai is the Arunachaleswarar temple. Having Lord Shiva as the presiding deity, Tiruvannamalai represents FIRE, one of the FIVE cosmic elements on Earth. As per the beliefs of Hinduism, Lord Shiva takes the form of the huge mountain in Tiruvannamalai to bless His devotees.
The Annamalaiyar temple located at the foot hills in Tiruvannamalai has sprawled across an area of 25 acres. Four huge gateway towers and the long precincts houses the sanctum where the presiding deity Lord Annamalaiyar resides with His consort Goddess Unnamulaiyamman. The thousand pillared hall inside the temple premises is a classic example of the temple architecture in Tamil Nadu.
Thiruvannamalai – Chennai
Besides the regular poojas, rituals and festivals done in this temple like any other Shiva shrines, the Thiru Karthigai Deepam festival deserves a special mention here. A huge cauldron filled with ghee is lit at the top of the hill on the day of Karthigai Deepam which falls during the months of November – December. The light is visible around a radius of several kilometers. Yet another significant ritual in Tiruvannamalai is the circumambulation of the hill on every full moon day. Around 14 lakhs people attend this every month and number gets increased every time.
The Ramanashram, Yogi Ram Surath Kumar Ashram are some of the important places in tiruvannamali deserving a visit. You can witness lot of saints wandering around the city in search of the ultimate wisdom taking them near to divinity.
After visiting all the places, you can return back to Chennai for an evening sight seeing around Chennai or just to rest in the hotel for overnight stay.
