Annamalaiyar Temple in the context of Arunagirinathar

Annamalaiyar Temple in the context of Arunagirinathar

⭐ Core Definition: Annamalaiyar Temple

The Arunachalesvara Temple or Annamalaiyar Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and Parvati, located at the foothills of the Arunachala hill in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is regarded as one of the significant temples in the Tamil Shaivite tradition. It is one of the Pancha Bhuta Sthalams and is associated with the element of fire (Agni) among the five natural elements. The presiding deity of the temple is Annamalaiyar (meaning "the mountain that cannot be reached"), who is worshipped as the embodiment of the hill itself, and is represented by a lingam known as the Agni Lingam, symbolizing the element of fire. Parvathi, revered as Unnamulai ammai, is represented by the yoni, with her idol referred to as the Agni Yoni.

The temple is classified as one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, one of the 276 sacred Saivite temples glorified in medieval Tamil Shaiva literature. It is celebrated in canonical Tamil devotional works such as the Tevaram composed by the Nayanars in 7th century CE, Tiruvempavai by Manikkavacakar in 9th century CE, and Tiruppukal by Arunagirinathar in the 14th century CE.

↓ Menu
HINT:

In this Dossier

Annamalaiyar Temple in the context of Dravidian architecture

Dravidian architecture, or the Southern Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from Southern India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century.

In contrast with North Indian temple styles, Dravidian architecture uses shorter and more pyramidal towers, called vimana, over the garbhagriha or sanctuary, where the north has taller towers, usually curving inwards as they rise, called shikharas. Larger modern Dravidian style temples, however, include one or more high gopura or gatehouse entrances to the compound as their dominating feature; large temples have several dwarfing the vimana, although these are a much more recent development. There are numerous other distinct features, such as the dvarapalakas – twin guardians at the main entrance and the inner sanctum of the temple and goshtams – deities carved in niches on the outer side walls of the garbhagriha.

View the full Wikipedia page for Dravidian architecture
↑ Return to Menu
LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Dravidian architecture
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Hindu temple → Shiva → Parvati → Arunachala → Tiruvannamalai → Tamil Nadu → Shaiva Siddhanta → Pancha Bhuta Sthalam → Agni → Hindu god → Lingam → Yoni → Paadal Petra Sthalam → Tevaram → Nayanars → Tiruvempavai → Manikkavacakar → Tiruppukal → Arunagirinathar →