The historic Adi Arunachaleswarar Temple, traditionally believed to have been established by Lord Brahma, recently celebrated Maha Kumbhabhishekam. The sacred ceremonies began on Friday, 26th June and culminated in the main consecration on 2nd July. Following early-morning rites for the peripheral deities of the outer prakara, the Maha Kumbhabhishekam of the Rajagopuram and the towers above principal deities, was performed at 10.15 am.

The temple’s previous consecration was held in July 2012, when thirty-nine homa kundas were installed in the yagasala. An earlier major renovation, undertaken at a cost of Rs. 25 lakhs through the dedicated efforts of Swami Ramanananda Saraswathi, culminated in the consecration ceremony of 1996. The occasion was graced by the presence of the head of Kanchi Shankara Math, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal.

A century back, during renovations at Adi Annamalai Temple in 1918, a tunnel was discovered in the outer prakara near the temple kitchen. Bhagavan was asked to inspect it while on his pradakshina. Devotees may recall how Bhagavan described Holy Arunachala as having a vast interior in which even ‘an army battalion’ could stay and perform tapas. Recalling a vision and a passage from the Puranas, Bhagavan advised that the tunnel be sealed, and the authorities complied without further investigation. —