Tiruvannamalai, the capital city of Tiruvannamalai Sambuvarayar District, a newly carved out district from the erstwhile North Arcot District, has been an important Hindu pilgrimage centre since ancient times. References about Tiruvannamalai are found in the poems of the First Tamil Sangam literature of the 1st century B.C, Upanishads and Rig Veda as well. Such is the hoary past of this spiritual abode of a host of Hindu sages and seers.
Legends and traditions having a bearing upon this place show that Tiruvannamalai attained its prominence only during the 6th or 7th century A.D. This fact has been authenticated by the hymns of the Great Saiva Saints Tirunavukkarasar and Tirugnana Sambandar who visited this place during that period and dedicated songs exclusively on the Arunachala hill there as an object of divine reverence. Arunachala is the Sanskrit word for ‘The Red Hill’.
Arunachala occupies an honored place in the sacred Hindu scriptures and legendary history. It reaches to the height of about 2500 feet and with a circumference of 12 KM at the bottom. Puranic references show that Arunachala is older than the Himalayas. According to our American geologist as quoted by Paul Bravton – a London journalist and a disciple of Ramana Maharishi in his monumental work ‘A message from Arunachala’ “It existed long before gigantic Samarians of the pre-historic world moved to their ungainly forms through the primeval forests that covered our early earth. He went even further and made it contemporaneous with the formation of the earth itself”. Sages far and near came to Tiruvannamalai to observe penance in this sacred hill. It is believed that if one goes round the hill on foot devotionally chanting the name of Lord Arunachaleeswara, all the sins will be absolved.
A legend has it that it was in Tiruvannamalai that Lord Siva proved his superiority over the other Gods of the Hindu Trinity – Vishnu and Brahma- by establishing a colossal self-illuminous column or a blazing fire pillar whose bottom and crown could not be seen or in other words one who has neither a beginning nor an end. As a sequel to this divine act, every year a sacred light is lit atop the hill during the Karthigai Festival in December. A large number of spiritual seekers take a trek on that day to the top of the hill to worship the all-pervasive effulgence of Lord Siva or The Annamalaiyar [The Lord of the Mountain].
A Vignette of Architecture
Like the sacred hill, Sri Arunachaleeswarar temple at Tiruvannamalai has also been a source of attraction to pilgrims and historians alike. The Tamil heritage of art and architectural ethos is well portrayed in the huge towers, mandapams and the holy idols of the temple. The stone monuments in the temple have defied the ravages of time and they testify the earliest record of Tamil art and culture. The status in the temple and the stat wells in the towers are nicely chiseled and polished. They are the expression of a cultured, sophisticated and fully developed art of the Tamils and show their generation of artistic efforts.
Scholars differ widely about the date of construction of the temple. However, the architectural pattern of the temple represents the cultural heritage of the Chola, Pandya, Hoysala and Vijayanagara Kings. So from the epigraphical evidences available in 119 stone inscriptions and the poetical works of the saints, it can be safely said, the time taken for the growth of this temple to its present dimension, about 25 acres of extent, would be between 9th and 16th centuries A.D., During this period the above dynasties ruled Tiruvannamalai. Being great of art and architecture the Kings of these patrons dynasties literally donated for the temples growth and up heap. In the subsequent centuries, the temple became much celebrated for its beauty and sanctity. Many saints and litterateurs visited Tiruvannamalai to enjoy the spiritual bliss afforded by it. They composed hymns extolling the divine tenets of Saivism. A scholarly and exhaustive study on this temple titled “Arulmigu Annamalai” by the great Tamil scholar of Tiruvannamalai A. Panduranganar, gives a list of books numbering 65 which contains Siva’s grandeur and the majesty of the temple. Vidwan A. Panduranganar’s book also contains Vignettes of about 28 most celebrated saints including Arunagirinathar, Seshadri Swamigal and Ramana Maharishi who lived, moved and attained their salvation at this place. The ashrams of Seshadri Swamigal and Ramana Maharishi are visited by a large number of devotees from all countries to pay their homage and to obtain their blessings. Pilgrims who visit Tiruvannamalai are not only attracted by the sublime divinity of the temple and the serene atmosphere around the hill, but also experience a deep sense of spiritual exaltation permeating in their inmost heart.
Divine Poet Par-Excellence
In the galaxy of Tamil poets of the later medieval age, Arunagirinathar, born and brought up in Tiruvannamalai, shines supreme and through his verbal melody and the grandest symphony of thought which abounds in his magnum opus TIRUPPUGAZ, he outshines other Tamil poets. Legendary stories have it that Arunagirinathar had Holy Communion with Lord Muruga when he attempted to commit suicide by jumping from a tower in the Sri Arunachaleeswarar Temple. Then Lord Muruga blessed him with poetic talent. Arunagiri’s Thiruppugaz is the spontaneous outpouring of a yearning heart which delves deep into the ocean of Lord Muruga’s grace.
Though his poem is based on the mystic experience of Arunagiri, it is based on the well-established traditions of the Classical Tamil Literature. The melody and mellifluousness of Thiruppugaz justly entitle Arunagiri to be called the “God-gifted organ voice of Tamilnadu”. This divine poet from Tiruvannamalai lived with the consciousness of being ever in the awful presence of Lord Murugan. In this great poem, the traits of poetic melody reached a high watermark of excellence in Tamil literature. One is able to deduce, after a careful reading of Thiruppugaz, that literature can be a fine piece of musical composition. Thus Arunagirinathar’s Thiruppugaz stands singular and distinctive among the 65 Tamil literary works that proclaim the hoary past of Tiruvannamalai.
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