A renowned spiritual center, Thiruvannamalai houses the Arunachala temple and the
ashram of the mystic saint Sri Ramana Maharshi. Historically, the place witnessed several battles from the beginning of 15th century up to the end of the Mysore wars. Thiruvannamalai is the headquarters of
Thiruvannamalai District and is located 80 km south of
Vellore. The town of Villupuram lies 70 km northeast of Thiruvannamalai.
Thiruvannamalai is an important railway station on the Katpadi-Villupuram meter gauge line.