The Story of THIRUVANNAMALAI

Thiruvannamalai is one among "pancha bootha sthalam". Everyone would have heard about this story when you were all kids. Once Brahma and Vishnu wanted to see the feet and the top of Shiva's head (Adi and Mudi) and they started pursuing it. Even after going to the deepest possible place under the surface, Vishnu could not spot Shiva's Feet and he accepted that. But Brahma went up above a long distance and could not find it. But he lied to Shiva saying that he had spotted what he was pursuing and he claimed "thazham poo" to be a witness. Lord Shiva realised that he was lying and from then on, he banished any kind of Brahma worship in Shiva temples and ostracised "Thazham poo" for his poojas. Lord Shiva was angry and he turned into a mountain and vanished. Now that mountain is supposed to be the "Thiruvannamalai" or "Thiru Annamalai". Since Lord Shiva was angry, that place is really a hot place and it is designated for "fire" among the "Pancha Boothas". 

            Annamalai = arunamalai, aruna thirini anna aaidichi, arunachalam = arunamalai, achalam in sanskrit in mountain, everybody might be knowing this info. According to literature, the hill was of fire in the Kritha Yuga; manickam (a variety of carbuncle) in the Thretha Yuga; gold in the Dwapara Yuga and emerald in the Kali Yuga. The hill thus evidences the fact that He is the light, the all-illuminating and all-pervading glory.

            Thayar's name is unnamulai amman.In Arunachala Mahatmyam and Arunachala Puranam, Parvati, known locally as Unnamulai, unites with Siva to such an extent that each shares the other's form. Unnamulai means, 'She whose breasts have never been suckled'. Traditionally, Siva and Unnamulai appear as a half-male and half-female figure, the left side being Unnamulai and the right side Siva. In this merged or unified state Unnamulai becomes Siva's sakti, the divine energy which brings into existence all manifestation. Iconographical representations of their combined form, which is known as Ardhanariswara, show a half-male and half-female body, with the dividing line being the vertical axis running down the middle of the body. Parvati (Unnamulai) earned the right to this union by performing intense tapas over two lifetimes, the first as Sati, and the second as Parvati.