Photo : https://plus.google.com/photos/112046714466411554404/albums/6126779879804765233

Participants: Udhaya Kumar.V , Prem Kumar O M, Karthick Kumar C S

Road to reach : Chennai -> Tindivanam -> Gingee ->Thiruvannamalai (200Km) (Bangalore – Krishnagiri – Thiruvannamalai will be 210Km)

Stay at Thiruvannmalai : We stayed at following place and they charged Rs.400 for three bed room. You can find single room for Rs.200
Sri Seshadri Swamigal Ashramam, Chengam Road, Thiruvannamalai (Next to ramana ashram) Phone : 91-4175-236999, 238599, 236740. You can call this numbers do advance booking.
But you can find many hotels at this place.

Stay at Mountain : if you want you can go with tent and sleeping bag for camping. There is the place for camping at top of the hill.

Trekking Date and Duration: 15-Mar-2015

Started trekking at 04:30 AM and Reached top at 7:00 AM. It will take 2:30 hrs for normal trekking. Started trekking down at 8:00 AM and reached down at 11:00 AM.

Trekking Complexity : It’s rock kind of path. It won’t have any path. It’s little difficult (not complex)

Food & Water at Mountain: There is no shop or water facility top of the hill. So you need to carry water. But you can fill water at Skandashram also. You can see shops till Skandashram from Ramana Ashram.

Trekking Guide : Jothi – 9500800052, 8489179410 – Jothi maintain small hut at top of the mountain. He will prepare tea based on advance request and guide us for trekking. Yes off course he is charging small money for guide/tea.

Trekking Route (Starting Point):
1. we can start from Ramana Ashram -> Skandashram -> Keep going up (This route little longer. But its very simple walk from Ramana ashram till Skandashram)
2. We can start using the steps near to temple, this route will take us to Skandashram directly. It will save time.
3. There is one more longer and simple trekking route also available. But we are not used this.

Trekking Log:

14-Mar-2015, 03:00 PM : Started from Chennai to Thiruvannmalai in car. Our Karthik was the driver

14-Mar-2015, 09:00 PM : Reached Thiruvannmali and reached Palaniselvan Sababathy Farm house at adi annamalai. Thanks for providing wonderful dinner !!

15-Mar-2015, 03:30 AM : Wake-up and get ready for trekking.

15-Mar-2015, 04:30 AM : Reached trekking starting place and started the trekking.

15-Mar-2015, 07:00 AM : Reached top. It was really cloudy and cold in this time.

Top of the Mountain
 There is the worship place called “siva paadam”
 There is small cave near to Siva Paadam
 Small Hut maintained by Jothi
 Thiruvannmalai Temple/Town view

Thanks Note : Thanks to Karthick for Driving car !!

Thanks to Palaniselvan Sababathy for initiating this Trekking and provided wonderful dinner.

Place to see at Thiruvannmalai:

1. Annamalaiyar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located at the base of Annamalai hills in the town ofThiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, India. The present masonry structure was built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century.

2. Virupaksha Cave : Virupaksha Cave located in Thiruvannamalai was the abode of the saint Virupaksha Deva in the 14th century. It is believed that saint Virupaksha spent most of his life in this cave. Sri Ramana stayed for seventeen years from 1899 to 1916, arriving when he was 20.

3. Skandashram : Ramana lived at Skandashram from 1915 to 1922

4. Ramana Ashram : Dedicated to Saint Ramana who is said to have attained Samadhi at this place.

5. Seshadri Swamigal Ashram : Close to the Ramana Ashram is the sacred spot of Seshadri Swamigal Ashram, which is dedicated to the popular 20th century Saint Seshadri Swamigal who used to display his mystical powers during that time in order to bless the devotees who attended his Ashram

6. Sathanur Dam : Built across River Pennar is the Sathurnur Dam

7. Jawadhu Hills is situated 75 kms from Tiruvannamalai.

Near Places to see: Gingee Fort, Parvathamalai

Siva Paadham

By Udhaya Kumar.V, udhaya.v@gmail.com