Full Moon Festival - Pournami Girivalam, Thiruvannamalai

On the full moon day, lakhs of devotees gather at the Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple at Thiruvannamalai to go on a 14 km holy walk around the temple covering the eight lingams known as Ashtalingams. The temple consists of eight gopurams with ashtalingams placed in different directions around a total area of 14 kilometres. The ashtalingams comprises of; Indralingam, Agnilingam, Yamalingam, Niruthilingam, Varunalingam, Vayulingam, Kuberalingam, and Esanyalingam. The lingams are believed to be placed by heavenly beings to represent different aspects of human life. The Indra lingam is dedicated to Lord Indran, the celestial King, and is located in the east direction.   The  Suriyan and Sukiran(Sun and Venus) are the two most important navagrahas on this lingam. The devotees start their Girivalam here by worshipping the Indra lingam for long life and abundant fortune. The Agni lingam is the second lingam on the Girivalam and is placed facing the southeast direction near a lotus pond. This lingam's dominant navagraha is Chandran(Moon), who is believed to bestow the worshippers with the courage to overcome challenges they face along life's path. The Yama lingam is the third lingam on the Girivalam, located in the direction of the south, along with Simma Theertham, a sacred tank. The lingam is dedicated to Lord Yama,  the deity of death. The dominant navagraha of this lingam is " Sevvai" (Mars). It is believed that Lord Yama bestows long life to his devotees. The fourth lingam on the Girivalam is the Niruthi lingam, placed in the southwest direction.  This lingam's dominant graham is the  Raagu( the north node of the moon). Sani Theertha, a sacred tank, is attached to this lingam. Worshipers of this Niruthi lingam are believed to be liberated from their financial obligations.The Varuna lingam is the fifth lingam on the Girivalam. This lingam represents the direction of the west. The Varuna deity, who is responsible for bringing rain to our planet, is installed in this lingam along with a sacred tank known as Varuna theertham.  Sani (Saturn) is the main graha in this lingam.  Worshippers of this lingam are protected from serious sickness. The Vayu lingam is the sixth lingam on the Girivalam. This lingam is positioned such that it faces the northwest direction. Vayu Bhaghavan, the deity of air, along with Kedhu (south node of the moon), bestows the worshippers with the ability to combat lung, stomach, heart, and general illnesses. The Kuperalingam is the seventh lingam on the Girivalam. This has a northern orientation with the Guru(Jupiter) as the main graham. And this lingam is dedicated to Lord Kuberan, also known as the deity of wealth. Devotees believe that regular prayer offerings to this lingam enable them to gain wealth. The Esanya lingam is the eighth (and last) lingam on the Girivalam. And this lingam is oriented towards the northeast. The Budhan(Mercury) is the main graha in this lingam.