The Journey I Never Planned

My Experience in Thiruvannamalai

Honestly, I had never even heard of a place called Thiruvannamalai.

I had never heard of the Ramana Maharshi Ashram. I knew nothing about the famous Arunachaleswarar Temple. I had no idea what Thiruvannamalai was known for, where I would stay, what I would eat, or even how I would get around once I reached there.

It was simply a name I had never encountered.

Then, one day, a friend mentioned Ramana Maharshi and his ashram in Thiruvannamalai.

Something happened inside me when I heard those words.

I cannot really explain what it was. It wasn't a carefully thought-out decision. I didn't research the place. I didn't make an itinerary. I didn't book a hotel or plan the journey.

There was simply a strange feeling within me, a quiet pull.

So I packed my bag and started travelling to Thiruvannamalai.

I was going there without knowing what awaited me.

Arriving Without a Plan

When I finally reached Thiruvannamalai, I walked into the Sri Ramanasramam, the ashram associated with Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

I spoke to the people at the ashram and asked about staying there.

Their response was quite straightforward: accommodation generally had to be booked well in advance, often around three months ahead.

For a moment, I didn't know what to do.

I had travelled a long distance, had no proper accommodation arranged, and had simply followed an inner feeling that I couldn't explain.

So I requested them to consider my situation and explained that I had come from quite far away.

Perhaps they sensed something about the purpose behind my visit. Perhaps it was simply grace. I still don't know.

But somehow, they handed me the key to one of the rooms in the ashram.

I remember walking into that room with a feeling that is difficult to put into words.

It was beautiful.

There was a private space and a lovely balcony. After travelling there without knowing where I would stay, suddenly I had a place to rest, reflect and simply be.

I ended up staying for four days.

And those four days became an experience I still find difficult to fully explain.

Thiruvannamalai Is Not Just a Place

One of the first things that struck me about Thiruvannamalai was that it didn't feel like an ordinary destination.

There are places you visit as a tourist. There are places you visit for nature. And then there are places where you somehow feel that the place itself is asking you to slow down.

For me, Thiruvannamalai was one of those places.

At the heart of everything stands Arunachala, the sacred mountain that has attracted spiritual seekers for centuries.

The mountain isn't simply something you look at. You experience it.

You can walk around it, visit temples and ashrams along the way, meet monks, yogis and spiritual seekers, and observe a completely different rhythm of life.

The famous practice of walking around Arunachala, Girivalam, allows you to experience the mountain slowly, step by step, rather than simply seeing it from a distance.

And along the way, there is so much to discover.

Walking Around Arunachala

Walking around Arunachala was one of the experiences that stayed with me.

The journey takes you through temples, smaller spiritual spaces, ashrams and different parts of the town.

You encounter people from completely different backgrounds who have come there for completely different reasons, pilgrims, monks, yogis, spiritual seekers, and simply people who, like me, have arrived because something inside them brought them there.

That is perhaps one of the most beautiful things about Thiruvannamalai.

You don't have to belong to one particular group. You can simply arrive. Walk. Observe. Sit. Listen. And allow the place to reveal itself to you.

The Mountain and the Ashrams

One important thing to know is that trekking to the summit of Arunachala is prohibited.

However, there are other beautiful walks and paths around the mountain.

There is also a route of roughly 1.5 kilometres leading towards the area associated with where Ramana Maharshi spent his early years after coming to Arunachala. From there, one can explore other spiritual spaces and ashrams in the surrounding area.

For someone interested in spirituality, yoga, meditation and the lives of spiritual masters, there is an incredible amount to explore.

You can spend days simply walking from one place to another. And sometimes, the walking itself becomes part of the experience.

The People You Meet

Another thing that makes Thiruvannamalai unique is the people.

You can meet monks and yogis. You can meet long-term spiritual seekers. You can meet people who have left behind conventional lifestyles to pursue something deeper. And you can meet ordinary travellers who have simply come looking for something they cannot quite define.

Conversations can happen unexpectedly. Sometimes they last for hours. Sometimes they last only a few minutes.

But occasionally, someone says something that stays with you long after the conversation has ended.

That, for me, is part of the magic of a place like this.

A Different Kind of Life

Thiruvannamalai also has another side.

Beyond the ashrams and temples, there is a vibrant local culture. There are small streets, local shops, traditional food, people going about their daily lives and, surprisingly, some beautiful cafés where you can sit quietly, listen to good music and simply watch the world go by.

Transportation is also relatively accessible, with buses, taxis and other local options available.

For those travelling from outside the region, Chennai and Bengaluru are among the nearest major cities with airports, making Thiruvannamalai reasonably accessible despite the sense of being far removed from ordinary life.

But once you are there, you don't necessarily feel the need to rush anywhere.

Something Changes When You Become Receptive

Perhaps this is the most difficult part for me to explain.

I don't want to make extraordinary claims about Thiruvannamalai. I can only speak about what I personally experienced.

If you arrive with an open mind and become receptive to the place, you may begin to notice something within yourself.

For me, there was a sense of stillness. A sense that I was being invited to look at life differently.

What am I really looking for? What do I actually need? Why am I constantly running? What does a meaningful life really mean?

And strangely, instead of giving you immediate answers, Thiruvannamalai seems to create more questions.

But perhaps those questions are important. Because once you begin asking deeper questions, you start seeking something more from life.

You start looking beyond achievement, possessions, recognition and the constant noise of everyday existence.

You begin searching.

And perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts a place can give you.

The Arunachaleswara Temple

And then there is the main temple, the Arunachaleswarar Temple.

I don't think this is something I can adequately describe.

Some places can be explained through photographs. Some can be explained through history. Some can be described through architecture.

But there are places that have to be experienced. For me, the temple was one of them.

The scale, the atmosphere, the history, the devotion and the sheer presence of the place create an experience that is difficult to translate into words.

You can tell someone about it. You can show them photographs. But ultimately, they have to stand there themselves.

What I Took Back With Me

I arrived in Thiruvannamalai knowing almost nothing about it.

I didn't have a plan. I didn't even know where I was going to stay. I simply followed a feeling.

And somehow, everything worked out.

I stayed for four days at the ashram. I walked around Arunachala. I explored temples and ashrams. I met people. I observed a different way of living. And most importantly, I spent time with myself.

Perhaps that is why the experience has remained with me.

Sometimes we travel to a place because we want to see it. And sometimes, we travel to a place because something within us wants to be seen.

I think Thiruvannamalai was the latter for me.

I went there without knowing what I was looking for. I left with a feeling that I should keep looking. Looking deeper. Seeking more. Understanding more.

And perhaps that is what Arunachala does to some people.

It doesn't necessarily give you an answer. It simply awakens the desire to ask a better question.

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Thiruvannamalai was not a trip I planned.

It was a journey that happened to me.