Girivalam

What it is

Girivalam is a Hindu religious practice kept at Tiruvannamalai, a town in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Those who take it up walk a circuit around the base of Arunachala hill, a route named the Girivalam Path, covering roughly 14 km. In Sanskrit the circling is called Giri Pradakshina. Tamil speakers may say Girivalam or Malai Suttru. The walk counts as a pilgrimage, and pilgrims treat the whole circuit as one continuous act of worship rather than a walk with stops. Most people begin at the temple in the town below the hill and return there.

The hill and the temple

Tiruvannamalai is a place of spiritual importance for Hindus, and the ancient Arunachaleswarar Temple stands at the foot of Arunachala hill. The temple is dedicated to Shiva, and it is from here that the circumambulation sets out. The hill itself is the focus of the walk: every step is measured around it. The route circles the hill for about 14 km, and along that circumference lie eight small shrines of lingams, each of them tied to the twelve moon signs. Together these eight are known as the Ashta Lingam, a name that means eight lingams. Visiting them is counted as one of the rituals of worship performed during the circuit, so the walk is also a round of small shrines.

How it is walked

Custom has shaped the way the circuit is made. People usually go barefoot, so that the ground is felt underfoot, and they keep the hill on their right as they move. The circuit is made in silence, in meditation, by repeating a name of God, or by singing bhajans, and the point of all of these is to hold the mind on God the whole way round. Ramana Maharshi advised that a devotee should walk slowly, comparing the pace to that of a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy. Pilgrims call the practice a simple and effective form of yoga, and many of them walk it right through the year.

What it means

Circling the hill is held to be good in every way, and pilgrims understand the act as one of worship rather than exercise. Ramana Maharshi set out the meaning he saw in the word pradakshina, taking its four sounds one by one: pra for the clearing away of sins, da for the fulfilling of desires, kshi for freedom from being born again, and na for deliverance through jnana, or knowledge. He also described what each step brings: one step, happiness in this world; two, happiness in heaven; three, the bliss of Satyaloka. Because of this, the walk is offered as worship, not simply completed.

The path today

Girivalam is kept all year. Full moon nights draw the largest numbers, but the circuit is also walked on ordinary weekdays, so that in practice no day of the year passes without it. Because the route matters to the town and to pilgrims, its care has become a matter for government too. A case reached the Supreme Court over bringing the pilgrim path within a proposed Tamil Nadu Heritage Conservation Act; India's central authorities and the state government were both involved. The walk itself is still made on foot.

How Girivalam is kept

A devotee starts from the Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai and sets off around the hill on the Girivalam Path, a circuit of about 14 km. The hill stays on the walker's right. Most go barefoot. The round is made in silence, in meditation, by repeating a name of God or by singing, so that attention stays on God. Eight small lingam shrines stand around the hill and visiting them forms part of the worship. Full moon nights are the busiest, yet the circuit is also walked on ordinary weekdays, all through the year.

When and where

Full moon nights are the main time for Girivalam, and they draw the greatest crowds. The walk is not limited to those nights. It is also made on all weekdays, so in effect the circuit can be walked on any of the 365 days of the year.

Girivalam belongs to Tiruvannamalai, a town in Tamil Nadu, India, at the foot of Arunachala hill. The Arunachaleswarar Temple there is where the walk begins, and the Girivalam Path runs around the hill for about 14 km. The practice is tied to that one hill and that one town.

What Girivalam means

Walking the hill is understood as an act of worship, not a hike. Ramana Maharshi taught that the sounds of the word pradakshina carry meanings: pra, the removal of sins; da, desires met; kshi, freedom from future births; na, deliverance through jnana. Each step, he said, gives its own reward, from happiness here to happiness in heaven and, at three steps, the bliss of Satyaloka. The circling of Arunachala is therefore held to benefit the devotee in every way.

Questions people ask about Girivalam

See also

Fire templeA consecrated sanctuary where Zoroastrians tend sacred fires and gather for worshipChota Char DhamFour Himalayan shrines in Uttarakhand, visited in one season each yearKailash Mansarovar YatraA high-altitude pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in TibetPrayer wheelA cylindrical wheel spun in Tibetan Buddhist practice to accumulate merit and wisdom

Good reading and sources

• Water troughs being filled around Girivalam path in Tiruvannamalai for wild animalsThe Hindu, Article
• Water troughs being filled around Girivalam path in Tiruvannamalai for wild animalsThe Hindu, Article

• Girivalam on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.