Thiruvannamalai District is bordered by
Vellore District in the north and west,
Dharmapuri District in the south-west,
Viluppuram District in the south and
Kanchipuram District in the east. Thiruvannamalai is one of the most sacred pilgrim centers of
Hindus. The district was known as ‘Thondai Mandalam’ in the ancient days. Thiruvannamalai and the Arunachaleswara temple located in
Thiruvannamalai town have a long history from 750 AD.
With an area of 6,191 sq km, Thiruvannamalai District has a population of over 2 million. Agriculture is the main occupation. Paddy, pulses, sugarcane, groundnut, gingelly, cotton and millets are the main crops. Apart from agriculture, it also has textile industries, small scale industries and cottage industries. Thiruvannamalai District is enriched with granites and magnesite deposits. It has a tropical climate.
Thiruvannamalai’s Arunachaleswara temple is one of the Panchabhoota Stalams signifying the 5 elements of wind (Kalahasti), water (Tiruvanaikka), fire (Thiruvannamalai), earth (Kanchipuram) and space (
Chidambaram). Krithika Deepam (Light festival celebrated in Tamil month Krithika), Thiruvoodal (The Holy Quarrel) and Pournami are the main festivals.
Thiruvannamalai town, Sri Ramana
Ashram, Sathanur Dam, and Sad-at-Ullah Khan Mosque are the major tourist attractions.
Thiruvannamalai District is well connected with other parts of the country by road and rail.
Chennai is the nearest airport, 182 km from Thiruvannamalai.
