One Day Chennai to Vellore & Tiruvannamalai Trip by Cab

Arunachaleswarar Temple,the first stop of our one day alluring Chennai to Vellore and Tiruvannamalai Trip. The presiding deity of the celebrated religious site is Arunachaleswarar or Annamaliyar, a manifestation of Lord Shiva.

An iconic piece of architecture spanning over an area of 25 acres is situated at the foothills of Annamalai Hills as such it is prominent as Arunachaleswarar Temple. A great architectural marvel greets its visitors with its spellbinding towers at the entrances more popular as Gopurams. Tallest amongst them is the eleven tiered Eastern Tower made of granite. Also called as Rajagopuram it raises to a height of 66 meters.

Sacred complex is surrounded by large walls with the southern and northern walls extending upto 1400 m and 1500 m respectively while the eastern and the western walls extends to 700 meters each. There are two theerthams or the holy water tanks namely the Brahma Theertham and the Siva Ganga Theertham..

Oldest structure in the gracious complex is the main shrine accommodating the Shiva Linga facing the east. Goddess Parvati appears as Unnamulai Amman in a standing posture. Shrine of Lord Balasubramanian is set on the south of the Thousand Pillared Hall while the shrine holding the image of Shivagangai Vinayagar lies to the north of the Sivaganga Tank.

Thousand pillared hall constructed during the late Vijayanagar period is known for the pillars holding the sculptures of Yali, which demonstrates part lion, part horse and part elephant forms. A notable structure of the huge temple is the Kalyana Mandapam built in Vijaynagar style of architecture.

All the pillars of the Kalyana Mandapam are adorned with sculptures of the Naik period. Vasantha Mandapam houses the shrine of Kalahasteeswara. A six feet tall Nandi in the fourth precinct built by Vallala Maharaja adds charm to the marvellous temple.