The Beacon of Arunachala

 

The beacon of Arunachala refers to a sacred fire that is lit annually during the Karthigai Deepam festival at the Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. This event marks the celebration of Lord Shiva appearing as a column of fire to eliminate the ego of Brahma and Vishnu. The beacon is lit on the summit of Arunachala Hill and can be seen for miles around, symbolizing the divine light of Shiva and attracting thousands of devotees.

The story continues that, because the lingam or column of light was too dazzling to behold, Siva manifested himself instead as the Arunachala hill, declaring: “As the moon derives its light from the sun, so other holy places shall derive their sanctity from Arunachala.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj demolished two mosques in Tiruvannamalai and re-established the temples there. The original temples of Shiva (Shonachalapati) and Vishnu (Samottir Perumal) had been destroyed and converted into mosques.

Legend:

1I In Hindu mythology, Parvati, wife of Shiva, once closed the eyes of her husband playfully in a flower garden at their abode atop Mount Kailash. Although only a moment for the gods, all light was taken from the universe, and the earth, in turn, was submerged in darkness for years. Parvati performed penance along with other devotees of Shiva.Then her husband appeared as a huge column of fire at the top of Annamalai hills, returning light to the world.He then merged with Parvati to form Ardhanarishvara, the half-female, half-male form of Shiva. The Arunachala, or red mountain, lies behind the Arunachalesvara temple, and is associated with the temple of its namesake.The hill itself is sacred and considered a lingam, or an iconic representation of Shiva.

 Another legend is that once, while Vishnu and Brahma contested for superiority, Shiva appeared as a flame, and challenged them to find his source.Brahma took the form of a swan, and flew to the sky to see the top of the flame, while Vishnu became the boar Varaha, and sought its base.The scene is called Lingodbhava, and is represented in the western wall at the sanctum of most Shiva temples.Neither Brahma nor Vishnu could find the source even.