Tiruvannamalai (
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
: ''Tiruvaṇṇāmalai''
IPA
IPA commonly refers to:
* India pale ale, a style of beer
* International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation
* Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound
IPA may also refer to:
Organizations International
* Insolvency Practitioners ...
: , otherwise spelt ''Thiruvannamalai'';
''Trinomali'' or ''Trinomalee'' on British records) is a city, a spiritual, cultural, economic hub and also the administrative headquarters of
Tiruvannamalai District
Tiruvannamalai district (previously known as Central Arcot, Tiruvannamalai Sambhuvarayar District) is the largest and one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu, in South India. It was formed in the year 1989 through the bifurcation of ...
in the
Indian state
India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions.
History
Pre-indepen ...
of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
. The city is home to the renowned
''Annamalaiyar temple'''',
Annamalai hill
Arunachala (IAST: , 'Red Mountain') is a hill in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, and one of the five main Shaiva holy places in South India. The Arunachalesvara Temple to Shiva is located at the base of the hill. The hill is also known by the na ...
, Girivalam'' and the ''Karthigai deepam'' festival. Being a prominent tourist destination which attracts considerable foreign visitors. The city is one of the cities featured in
lonely planet
Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books.
History Early years
Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarked ...
. the city has a thriving service sector industry including retail, resorts and recreation activities. Apart from the service sector, the city is also the hub for many industrial setups including ''
SIDCO'', spinning mills and premier educational institutions. The city is administered by the Tiruvanamalai Municipality, originally constituted in the year 1886. The city has a good network of roadways and railways and a popular getaway to the Megacities of
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and
Bengaluru. The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation is considering setting up a new airport at Tiruvannamalai.
Etymology and legend
In Hinduism,
Parvati
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...
, wife of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
, once closed the eyes of her husband playfully in a flower garden at their abode atop
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Standard Tibetan, Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It h ...
. 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 performed penance with other devotees of Shiva, and her husband appeared as a big column of fire at the top of
Annamalai hills
Arunachala ( IAST: , 'Red Mountain') is a hill in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, and one of the five main Shaiva holy places in South India. The Arunachalesvara Temple to Shiva is located at the base of the hill. The hill is also known by the na ...
, returning light to the world.
He then merged with Parvati to form
Ardhanarishvara
The Ardhanarishvara ( sa, अर्धनारीश्वर, Ardhanārīśvara, the half-female Lord, translit-std=IAST), is a form of the Hindu deity Shiva combined with his consort Parvati. Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half-male and half ...
, the half-female, half-male form of Shiva. The Annamalai, or red mountain, lies behind the Annamalaiyar temple, and is associated with the temple of its namesake.
The hill is sacred and considered a ''
lingam
A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...
'', or iconic representation of Shiva, in itself.
Another legend is that once, while
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
and
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
contested for superiority, Shiva appeared as a flame, and challenged them to find his source.
Brahma took the form of a swan, and flew to the sky to see the top of the flame, while Vishnu became the boar
Varaha
Varaha ( sa, वराह, , "boar") is an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu.
Varaha is most commonly associated with the lege ...
, and sought its base. The scene is called ''lingothbava'', and is represented in the western wall at the sanctum of most Shiva temples. Neither Brahma nor Vishnu could find the source, and while Vishnu conceded his defeat, Brahma lied and said he had found the pinnacle. In punishment, Shiva ordained that Brahma would never have temples on earth in his worship.
In Tamil, the word ''Arunam'' means red or fire and ''Asalam'' means hill. Since Shiva manifested himself in the form of fire in this place, this name Arunachalam came to be associated with Annamalai hill and the city.
The first mention of ''Annamalai'' is found in ''
Tevaram
The ''Thevaram'' ( ta, தேவாரம், ), also spelled ''Tevaram'', denotes the first seven volumes of the twelve-volume collection ''Tirumurai'', a Śaiva narrative of epic and puranic heroes, as well as a hagiographic account of early ...
'', the seventh century Tamil Saiva canonical work by
Appar
Appar, also referred to as ( ta, திருநாவுக்கரசர்) or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Śaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Śaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is ...
and
Tirugnanasambandar
Sambandar (Tamil: சம்பந்தர்), also referred to as Tirugnana Sambandar (lit. ''Holy Sage Sambandar''), Tirujnanasambanda, Campantar or Jñāṉacampantar, was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived sometime in the 7th cen ...
.
History
The history of Tiruvannamalai revolves around the Annamalaiyar Temple. The recorded history of the city dates back to the ninth century, as seen from a Chola inscriptions in the temple.
Further inscriptions made before ninth century indicate the rule of
Pallava
The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...
kings, whose capital was
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple ...
.
[ Mack 2008, pp. 88–90] The seventh century
Nayanar saints
Sambandar
Sambandar (Tamil: சம்பந்தர்), also referred to as Tirugnana Sambandar (lit. ''Holy Sage Sambandar''), Tirujnanasambanda, Campantar or Jñāṉacampantar, was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived sometime in the 7th cen ...
and
Appar
Appar, also referred to as ( ta, திருநாவுக்கரசர்) or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Śaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Śaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is ...
wrote of the temple in their poetic work, ''
Tevaram
The ''Thevaram'' ( ta, தேவாரம், ), also spelled ''Tevaram'', denotes the first seven volumes of the twelve-volume collection ''Tirumurai'', a Śaiva narrative of epic and puranic heroes, as well as a hagiographic account of early ...
''.
Sekkizhar
Sēkkilān Mādēvadigal Rāmadēva (12th century CE), known popularly by his family name as Sekkizhar, was a saint and a contemporary of Kulottunga Chola II. He compiled and wrote the ''Periya Puranam'' (Great Story or Narrative) in 4253 vers ...
, the author of the ''
Periyapuranam
The ''Periya purāṇam'' (Tamil: பெரிய புராணம்), that is, the ''great purana'' or epic, sometimes called ''Tiruttontarpuranam'' ("Tiru-Thondar-Puranam", the Purana of the Holy Devotees), is a Tamil poetic ...
'' records both Appar and Sambandar worshiped Annamalaiyar in the temple.
The Chola Kings ruled over the region for more than four centuries, from 850 to 1280, and were temple patrons. The inscriptions from the Chola king record various gifts like land, sheep, cow and oil to the temple commemorating various victories of the dynasty.
The
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannada people, Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially loca ...
kings used Tiruvannamalai as their capital beginning in 1328 as their empire in Karnataka was annexed by the
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). and fought off the invasions from Madurai Sultans and Sultanate governors in the Deccan until 1346.
There are 48 inscriptions from the
Sangama Dynasty
The Sangama dynasty was a dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire founded in the 14th century by two brothers: Harihara I (also called ''Vira Harihara'' or ''Hakka Raya'') and Bukka Raya I. They were the sons of Bhavana Sangama, members of a pastora ...
(1336–1485), two inscriptions from
Saluva Dynasty (1485-1405), and 55 inscriptions from
Tuluva Dynasty
Tuluva is the name of the third Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. The dynasty traces its patrilineal ancestry to Tulu-speaking who are Bunt Nagavamshi Kshatriyas () Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, a powerful warlord from the westerly Tulu speaking regio ...
(1505–1571) of the
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...
, reflecting gifts to the temple from their rulers.
[ Mack 2008, p. 82] There are also inscriptions from the rule of
Krishnadeva Raya
Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Empire, reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the ...
(1509–1529), the most powerful Vijayanagara emperor, indicating further patronage.
Most of the Vijayanagara inscriptions were written in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
, with some in
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
and
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
.
[ Mack 2008, p. 81] The inscriptions in the temple from the Vijayanagara kings indicate emphasis on administrative matters and local concerns, which contrasts the inscriptions of the same rulers in other temples like
Tirupathi. The majority of the gift related inscriptions are for land endowments, followed by goods, cash endowments, cows and oil for lighting lamps.
The city of Tiruvannamalai was at a strategic crossroads during the Vijayanagara Empire, connecting sacred centers of pilgrimage and military routes.
[ Mack 2008, pp. 71–72] There are inscriptions that show the area as an urban center before the precolonial period, with the city developing around the temple, similar to the Nayak ruled cities like
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...
.
During the 18th century, Tiruvannamalai came under the dominion of the
Nawab of the Carnatic
The Carnatic Sultanate was a kingdom in South India between about 1690 and 1855, and was under the legal purview of the Nizam of Hyderabad, until their demise. They initially had their capital at Arcot in the present-day Indian state of Tamil N ...
. As the
Mughal empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
came to an end, the Nawab lost control of the city, with confusion and chaos ensuing after 1753.
Subsequently, there were periods of both Hindu and Muslim stewardship of the temple, with Muraru Raya, Krishna Raya, Mrithis Ali Khan, and Burkat Ullakhan besieging the temple in succession. As European incursions progressed, Tiruvannamalai was attacked by French Soupries, Sambrinet, and the English
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Stephen Smith. While some were repelled, others were victorious. The French occupied the city in 1757 and it came under the control of the British in 1760.
In 1790, Tiruvannamalai city was captured by
Tippu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He i ...
, who ruled from 1782 to 1799.
During the first half of the 19th century, the city came under
British rule
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...
.
Geography
Tiruvannamalai is situated from the state capital
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and from
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
. The height of the Annamalai hill is approximately .
Tiruvannamalai is located at . It has an average elevation of . The city is located to the east of
Eastern Ghats
The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats pass through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka as well as Telangana. They are eroded and cut ...
. The topography of Tiruvannamalai is almost plain sloping from west to east. The temperature ranges from a maximum of to a minimum of . Like the rest of the state, April to June are the hottest months and December to January are the coldest. Tiruvannamalai receives scanty rainfall with an average of annually, which is lesser than the state average of . The southwest monsoon with an onset in June and lasting up to August brings scanty rainfall. Bulk of the rainfall is received during the northeast monsoon in the months of October, November and December. The average humidity of the city is 77% and varies between 67% to 86%. During the summer months of April to June, the humidity ranges from 47% to 63%. The municipality covers an area of
[ Urban Infrastructure Report 2008, pp. 74–76]
Demographics
![Thiruvannamalai, Arunachalesvara Temple, City, India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Thiruvannamalai%2C_Arunachalesvara_Temple%2C_City%2C_India.jpg)
According to the provisional population totals of the 2011 census, Tiruvannamalai UA had a population of 145278, with 72406 males and 72872 females. The sex ratio of the city was 1,000 and the child sex ratio stood at 960. Tiruvannamalai had an average literacy rate of 81.64% with male literacy being 85.6%, and female literacy being 77.7%. A total of 14,530 of the population of the city was under 6 years of age.
According to
2011 census, Tiruvannamalai had a population of 145,278 with a sex-ratio of 1,006 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.
A total of 15,524 were under the age of six, constituting 7,930 males and 7,594 females.
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
accounted for 12.37% and 1.22% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the city was 78.38%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.
The city had a total of 33,514 households. There were a total of 50,722 workers, comprising 583 cultivators, 580 main agricultural labourers, 994 in house hold industries, 44,535 other workers, 4,030 marginal workers, 84 marginal cultivators, 105 marginal agricultural labourers, 421 marginal workers in household industries and 3,420 other marginal workers.
As per the religious census of 2011, Tiruvannamalai had 82.57%
Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, 14.07%
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
, 2.79%
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, 0.01%
Sikhs
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...
, 0.01%
Buddhists
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
, 0.4%
Jains
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
, 0.13% following other religions and 0.01% following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference.
The maximum decadal growth of population in Tiruvannamalai was observed during 1971–81 and had reduced growth rate from 1981 due to the increased amount of industrial activity that took place outside the city. The density of the city was 45 per hectare during 1971 and increased to 90 during 1999.
[ Urban Infrastructure Report 2008, pp. 76–79] A total (32.75%) of the land is used for residential, (3.58%) for commercial, (1.63%) for industrial, (2.88%) for public & semi public, (2.22%) for educational and (56.94%) for non-urban purposes.
[ Urban Infrastructure Report 2008, p. 80]
* .
*
*
*
Economy
Tiruvannamalai is a temple city and a major pilgrimage centre in Tamil Nadu. The city is the marketing and service city for the surrounding places. Being the administrative headquarters of the Tiruvannamalai district, Tiruvannamalai has a lot of tertiary sector activities. Trade and commerce and service activities are the major contributors to the economy of the city. In 1991, 7.93% of the population was involved in primary sector, 21.34% in secondary sector and 70.73% in tertiary sector activities. The city had a female work participation of 11%. Due to the urbanisation from 1971, there has been dip in primary sector activities and a proportional increase in the tertiary sector activities. There is limited agricultural activity within the city limits. The secondary sector involves manufacturing and construction, whose growth has remained stable over the decades. There are a number of oil mills, rice mills and agro based industries within the Tiruvannamalai city limits. The tertiary sector activities of trade, commerce, transport, storage, communication and other services has been increasing due to the increasing number of tourists to the city. The patronage to Girivalam has increased informal economic activities around the city.
[ Urban Infrastructure Report 2008, pp. 85–88] The major commercial activities are concentrated around Car Street, Thiruvoodal Street, Kadambarayan Street, Asaliamman Koil Street, Sivanpada Street and Polur Road.
All major nationalised banks such as
State Bank of India
State Bank of India (SBI) is an Indian multinational public sector bank and financial services statutory body headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. SBI is the 49th largest bank in the world by total assets and ranked 221st in the ''Fortune ...
,
Vijaya Bank
Vijaya Bank was a PSU bank which was merged with Bank of Baroda on 1 April 2019 with its head office in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. It was one of the nationalised banks in India. The bank offered a wide range of financial products and service ...
,
Union Bank,
Bank of India
Bank of India (BOI) is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. Founded in 1906, it has been government-owned since nationalisation in 1969. BoI is a founder member of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Inter B ...
,
Indian Bank
Indian Bank is an Indian public sector bank, established in 1907 and headquartered in Chennai. It serves over 100 million customers with 39,734 employees, 5,721 branches with 5,428 ATMs and Cash deposit machines. Total business of the bank has ...
,
Central Bank of India
Central Bank of India (CBI) is an Indian public sector bank based in Mumbai. Despite its name, it is not the central bank of India; The Indian central bank is the Reserve Bank of India.
History
The Central Bank of India was established on ...
,
Punjab National Bank
Punjab National Bank (abbreviated as PNB) is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Delhi. The bank was founded in May 1894 and is the second largest government-owned bank in India, both in terms of its business volumes and its network ...
,
Indian Overseas Bank
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) is an Indian public sector bank based in Chennai. It has about 3,214 domestic branches, about 4 foreign branches and representative office. Founded in February 1937 by M. Ct. M. Chidambaram Chettyar with twin object ...
,
Bank of India
Bank of India (BOI) is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. Founded in 1906, it has been government-owned since nationalisation in 1969. BoI is a founder member of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Inter B ...
,
Bank of Maharashtra
Bank of Maharashtra is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Pune. The bank had 29 million customers across the country with 2022 branches as of March 2022. It has the largest network of branches of any nationalised bank in the state ...
and private banks like
ICICI Bank
ICICI Bank Limited is an Indian Private bank. It is headquartered at Mumbai. It offers a wide range of banking products and financial services for corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and specialized subsidiari ...
,
HDFC Bank
HDFC Bank Limited (also known as HDB) is an Indian banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai. It is India's largest private sector bank by assets and world's 10th largest bank by market capitalisation . It is the third lar ...
,
Kotak Mahindra Bank Kotak may refer to:
* Kotak (band), an Indonesian rock band
* Kotak (surname), surname and people who bear it
* Kotak Mahindra Bank, an Indian financial service firm
* Kotak Securities, subsidiary of Kotak Mahindra Bank
* Kotak, Iran (disambiguation ...
,
Axis Bank
Axis Bank Limited, formerly known as UTI Bank (1993–2007), is an Indian banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It sells financial services to large and mid-size companies, SMEs and retail businesses.
As ...
,
DBS Bank
DBS Bank Limited, often known as DBS, is a Singaporean multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at the Marina Bay Financial Centre in the Marina Bay district of Singapore. The bank was previously known as The De ...
,
Tamilnad Mercantile Bank,
IDBI Bank
The IDBI Bank Limited (IDBI Bank or IDBI) is a development finance institution under the ownership of Life Insurance Corporation of India and Government of India. It was established in 1964 as Industrial Development Bank of India, a developmen ...
,
Bank of Baroda
Bank of Baroda (BOB or BoB) is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Vadodara, Gujarat. It is the second largest public sector bank in India after State Bank of India, with 132 million customers, a total business of US$218 billion, a ...
,
Karur Vysya Bank
Karur Vysya Bank is a Scheduled Commercial Bank in India. It has completed 100 years of operation and is one of the leading banks in India, headquartered in Karur in Tamil Nadu. It was set up in 1916 by M. A. Venkatarama Chettiar and Athi Krish ...
and
City Union Bank
City Union Bank Limited is an Indian private sector bank headquartered in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. The bank was initially named Kumbakonam Bank Limited, and was incorporated on 31 October 1904. The bank preferred the role of a regional bank in ...
have their branches in Tiruvannamalai. All these banks have their
automated teller machine
An automated teller machine (ATM) or cash machine (in British English) is an electronic telecommunications device that enables customers of financial institutions to perform financial transactions, such as cash withdrawals, deposits, fun ...
s located in various parts of the city. Apart from major banks the city also has many small finance banks and their
automated teller machine
An automated teller machine (ATM) or cash machine (in British English) is an electronic telecommunications device that enables customers of financial institutions to perform financial transactions, such as cash withdrawals, deposits, fun ...
s.
Culture
![Tiruvannamalai Temple](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Tiruvannamalai_Temple.jpg)
The Annamalaiyar Temple is the most prominent landmark of Tiruvannamalai. The temple complex covers an area of , and is one of the largest temples in India.
It houses four gateway towers known as ''
gopurams
A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the Sout ...
''. The tallest is the eastern tower, with 11 stories and a height of , making it one of the tallest temple towers in India.
The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Annamalaiyar and Unnamulai Amman being the most prominent. The temple complex houses many halls; the most notable is the thousand-pillared hall built during the
Vijayanagar period.
![Tiruvannamalai temple](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Tiruvannamalai_Temple.jpg)
The Annamalaiyar temple is one of the ''Pancha Bhoota Stala''s, or five Shiva temples, with each a manifestation of a natural
element: land, water, air, sky or fire. In Annamalaiyar temple, Shiva is said to have manifested himself as a massive column of fire, whose crown and feet could not be found by the Hindu gods,
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
and Vishnu. ''
Aathara Stala'' are Shiva temples which are considered to be personifications of the Tantric
chakra
Chakras (, ; sa , text=चक्र , translit=cakra , translit-std=IAST , lit=wheel, circle; pi, cakka) are various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, or the esoteric or ...
s of human anatomy. The Annamalaiyar temple is called the ''Manipooraga stalam'', and is associated with the ''
Manipooraga'' chakra. The temple is revered in ''Tevaram'', the Tamil Saiva canon and classified as ''
Paadal Petra Sthalam
The Paadal Petra Sthalam, also known as Thevara Sthalam, are 276 temples that are revered in the verses of Saiva Nayanars in the 6th-9th century CE and are amongst the greatest Shiva temples of the continent. The Divya Desams by comparison ar ...
'', one of the 276 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon.
![Tirumalai Neminatha Statue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Tirumalai_Neminatha_Statue.jpg)
The most important festival of the Annamalaiyar temple is celebrated during the
Tamil month
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
of ''
Karthikai'', between November and December, concluding with the celebration of Karthikai Deepam. A huge lamp is lit in a
cauldron
A cauldron (or caldron) is a large pot ( kettle) for cooking or boiling over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron lore in religion, mythology, and ...
, containing three tons of
ghee
Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals.
Description
Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from c ...
, at the top of the Annamalai hills during the Deepam.
To mark the occasion, the festival deity of Annamalaiyar
circumambulates the mountain. Inscriptions indicate that the festival was celebrated as early as the Chola period (850–1280) and was expanded to ten days in the twentieth century.
[ Mack 2008, pp. 72–74]
Every full moon, tens of thousands of pilgrims worship Annamalaiyar by circumambulating the Annamalai hill barefoot.
The circumambulation covers a distance of , and is referred as ''Girivalam''.
According to Hindu legend, the walk removes sins, fulfils desires and helps achieve freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth.
Offerings are made in a string of
tanks
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine ...
, shrines, pillared meditation halls, springs and caves around the hill.
Tirumalai is an ancient Jain temple complex in the outskirts of Tiruvannamalai that houses three Jain caves, four
Jain temples
A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...
and a high sculpture of
Neminatha
Neminatha, also known as Nemi and Arishtanemi, is the twenty-second ''tirthankara'' (ford-maker) in Jainism. Along with Mahavira, Parshvanatha and Rishabhanatha, Neminatha is one of the twenty four ''tirthankaras'' who attract the most devo ...
dated from the 12th century and the tallest Jain image in Tamil Nadu.
The
Ramana Ashram and ashram of
Yogi Ramsuratkumar, located around the Annamalai hill are popular visitor attractions of Tiruvannamalai. The
Sathanur Dam
Sathanur Dam which forms the Sathanur reservoir, is one of the major dams in Tamil Nadu. It is constructed across the Thenpennai River also called as Pennaiyar River in Thandarampet taluk among Chennakesava Hills. The dam can be reached by ro ...
over the Thenpennai river located southwest of the city is a prominent picnic spot. This 786.37 m Dam is 44.81m high and can store 7,321,000,000 cu ft or 207,300,000 cubic meters of water. A scenic park is also present adjacent to this dam.
Ulagalantha Perumal Temple in
Tirukoilur
Tirukoilur also spelt as ''Tirukkoyilur'' or ''Tirukovilur'' is a city and the headquarters of Tirukoilur taluk in Kallakurichi District, Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located on the southern bank of Thenpennai River and famous for Ulagala ...
, situated south of Tiruvannamalai and Thiruvarangam are prominent Vishnu temples that are located around Tiruvannamalai.
Transport
The Tindivanam – Krishnagiri national highway,
NH 77 and the
Vellore
Vellore (English: ), also spelt as Velur (), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River in the northeastern part of Tamil Nadu and is separa ...
–
Tuticorin Port
V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority is a port in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, and is one of the 13 major ports in India. It was declared to be a major port on 11 July 1974. It is second largest port in Tamil Nadu and third largest container terminal i ...
National highway
NH 38 pass through Tiruvannamalai. The city has eight arterial roads that connects it to other towns.
The Tiruvannamalai municipality maintains a total length of . The city has concrete roads, BT roads, of WBM roads and earthen roads. A total of 452 roads is maintained by the State Highways Department.
![Tiruvannamalai_Central_Bus_Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Tiruvannamalai_Central_Bus_Station.jpg)
Tiruvannamalai is served by the city bus service operated by the
TNSTC, which provides connectivity within the city and the suburbs. There are private operated mini-bus services that cater to the local transport needs of the city. The main bus stand covers an area of and is located in the heart of the city. There are regular inter-city bus services to Tiruvannamalai. The TNSTC operates daily services connecting various cities to Tiruvannamalai. The corporation operates a computerised reservation centre in the bus stand of the city. The
SETC operates long-distance buses connecting the city to important cities like
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
,
Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to:
* Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India
** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry t ...
and
Bengaluru. The major inter city bus routes from the city are to cities and towns like
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
,
Bengaluru,
Vettavalam
Vettavalam is a first grade panchayat town in Tiruvanamalai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Geography
Vettavalam is located at . It has an average elevation of 211 metres (692 feet
The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical s ...
,
Villupuram
Viluppuram, Villupuram, or Vizhuppuram () is a Municipality and the administrative headquarters of Viluppuram district.
Located south west of a Tiruvannamalai and north west of Cuddalore null The town serves as a major railway junction, ...
,
Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to:
* Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India
** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry t ...
,
Arani,
Tindivanam
Tindivanam is a town and a municipality in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the second largest town in Villupuram District after the headquarters town Villupuram. Important roads from north to south (NH 45) Tami ...
,
Tirukoilur
Tirukoilur also spelt as ''Tirukkoyilur'' or ''Tirukovilur'' is a city and the headquarters of Tirukoilur taluk in Kallakurichi District, Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located on the southern bank of Thenpennai River and famous for Ulagala ...
,
Avalurpet,
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple ...
,
Chengam
Chengam or ''Chengamma'' as on British records, is an important market town and a taluk headquarter in the Foot hills of Eastern ghats in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu, India. Chengam is the gateway to the Chengam pass in the Eastern gha ...
,
Sathanur,
Sankarapuram
Sankarapuram is a Town Panchayat of Kallakurichi district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Theatres
NVN Theatre
Barkath Theatre.
Schools in sankarapuram
# Government Boys Higher secondary School
# Government Girls Higher Secondar ...
and
Manalurpet
Manalurpet is a town panchayat in the Tirukkoyilur taluk of Kallakurichi district, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Geography
Manalurpet is within Tirukkoyilur taluk, which is in the northeastern part of Kallakurichi district. The town covers ...
.
Tiruvannamalai railway station is located in the rail head from
Katpadi
Katpadi () is a locality in Vellore, at the northern part of Vellore city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Its railway is located on the gauge line between Chennai-Bangalore and Villupuram-Tirupati.
Politics and geography
Once a village, Katp ...
to
Villupuram
Viluppuram, Villupuram, or Vizhuppuram () is a Municipality and the administrative headquarters of Viluppuram district.
Located south west of a Tiruvannamalai and north west of Cuddalore null The town serves as a major railway junction, ...
and falls under the
Tiruchchirapalli
Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...
division of the
Southern Railway. The
Rameshwaram
Rameswaram (; also transliterated as Ramesvaram, Rameshwaram) is a municipality in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about 40 kil ...
-
Tirupati
Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is refe ...
bi-weekly expresses connects Tiruvannamalai to the cities of Madurai and Tirupati in either directions. There are also passenger trains running either side from Katpadi to Villupuram.
The nearest airport is at
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, which is located from the city.
Municipal administration and politics
The Tiruvannamalai municipality was established in 1886 during British times. It was promoted to a second-grade municipal municipality in 1959, first grade in 1974, selection grade in 1998 and special grade in 2008. The municipality has 39 wards and there is an elected councillor for each of those wards.
The functions of the municipality are devolved into six departments: general administration/personnel, Engineering, Revenue, Public Health, city planning and Information Technology (IT). All these departments are under the control of a Municipal Commissioner who is the executive head. The legislative powers are vested in a body of 39 members, one each from the 39 wards.
The legislative body is headed by an elected chairperson assisted by a deputy chairperson.
Tiruvannamalai comes under the
Tiruvannamalai assembly constituency and it elects a member to the
Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a strength of 234 members of whom are democratically elected using the First-past-the-post voting, First-past-the-post system. The pres ...
once every five years. From the 1977 elections, the assembly seat was won by
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu where it is currently the ruling party having a comfortable majority without coalition support and the union territory of Puducherry where it is curre ...
(DMK) seven times during the 1977, 1989, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 elections, the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
party three times during the 1980, 1984 and 1991 elections. The current MLA of the constituency is E.V. Velu from DMK.
During the 1957 elections, Tiruvannamalai was a part of Tiruvannamalai parliamentary constituency and was held by an independent. From the 1962 to 2004 elections, the city was part of Tirupattur constituency. The Dravida Muneetra Kazhagam (DMK) won the seat nine times during the 1962, 1967, 1971, 1977, 1980, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004 elections and the Indian National Congress won it three times during the 1984, 1989 and 1991 elections and AIADMK once during the 2014 elections.
From the 2009 elections, Tiruvannamalai is a part of the
Tiruvannamalai (Lok Sabha constituency)
Tiruvannamalai Lok Sabha constituency ( ta, திருவண்ணாமலை மக்களவைத் தொகுதி) is one of the 39 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India
India, o ...
– it has the following six assembly constituencies –
Jolarpet
Jolarpettai () is a railway town in Tirupattur district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is a commuter rail hub in Southern Railway. It is 7 km from district Tirupattur and 18 km from Vaniyambadi.
As of 2011, the town had a population of 29,6 ...
,
Tirupattur
Tirupathur or Tirupattur is the headquarters of Tirupathur district in the state of Tamil Nadu in India and is one of the oldest inhabited places in the state, with a history of over 1,600 years. The town is known for an abundance of sandalwood ...
,
Chengam (SC),
Tiruvannamalai
Tiruvannamalai ( Tamil: ''Tiruvaṇṇāmalai'' IPA: , otherwise spelt ''Thiruvannamalai''; ''Trinomali'' or ''Trinomalee'' on British records) is a city, a spiritual, cultural, economic hub and also the administrative headquarters of Tiruva ...
,
Kilpennathur and
Kalasapakkam. The current Member of Parliament from the constituency is C N Annadurai from the DMK party.
Law and order in the city is maintained by the Tiruvannamalai sub division of the
Tamil Nadu Police
Tamil Nadu Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is over 150 years old and is the fifth largest state police force in India. headed by a Deputy Superintendent (DSP).
There are three police stations in the city, one of them being an all-women police station. There are special units like prohibition enforcement, district crime, social justice and human rights, district crime records and special branch that operate at the district level police division headed by a Superintendent of Police (SP).
Education and utility services
There are 45 elementary schools, 12 high schools and 28 higher secondary schools in Tiruvannamalai. There are seven arts & science colleges, six engineering colleges, 1 law college and 2 medical college in the city. Electricity supply to Tiruvannamalai is regulated and distributed by the
Tamil Nadu Electricity Board
Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (abbreviated as TNEB) is a power generation and distribution company owned by Government of Tamil Nadu, India. It was created as a regulated monopoly under section 131 of the Electricity Act (2003) as a successor o ...
(TNEB). The city along with its suburbs forms the Tiruvannamalai Electricity Distribution Circle. Water supply is provided by the municipality of Tiruvannamalai from the Thenpennai river and Samuthiram through feeders located in various parts of the city. In the period 2000–2001, a total of 12.5 million litres of water was supplied every day for households in the city. About 52 metric tonnes of solid waste are collected from Tiruvannamalai every day by door-to-door collection and subsequently the source segregation and dumping is carried out by the sanitary department of the municipality. The coverage of solid waste management had an efficiency of 75% in 2001. The city has underground drainage system which came to existence fully in the year 2013–2014 and the sewerage system for disposal of sullage is through septic tanks, open drains and public conveniences. The municipality maintains a total of of storm water drains in Tiruvannamalai. There is three government hospitals, one southern railway hospital, two municipal maternity hospital, two
Siddha
''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual ...
hospitals, five health centres and 126 private hospitals and clinics that take care of the health care needs of the citizens. There are a total of 13,570 street lamps in Tiruvannamalai: 2,496 sodium lamps, 1061 mercury vapour lamps, 10,010 tube lights and 112 high mast beam lamp. The municipality operates seven markets, namely the Jothi flower market, vegetable market and uzhavar santhai, poomalai market, Angalamman koil market, Perumbakkam road market that cater to the needs of the city and the rural areas around it.
Notes
* The municipalities in Tamil Nadu are graded special, selection, grade I and grade II based on income and population.
Citations
References
*
*
External links
Municipality of Tiruvannamalai
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Tiruvannamalai district