Sathanur Dam

A steep forested hill with a hilltop Shiva-Parvati shrine, reached by a strenuous barefoot climb of around 10 km through reserve forest, popular with pilgrim trekkers.

Ashram built around the samadhi of the mendicant saint Yogi Ramsuratkumar (1918-2001), noted for its large domed meditation hall on the Chengam road.

Ancient Shiva temple on the girivalam path on the far side of Arunachala, regarded as the original ('adi') Annamalai shrine and an important stop for pilgrims circling the hill.

Ashram at the western base of Arunachala where sage Ramana Maharshi lived from 1922 until 1950, built around his mother's samadhi shrine; a major international centre for self-enquiry pilgrimage.

Ashram and samadhi shrine of the saint Seshadri Swamigal (1870-1929), a contemporary of Ramana Maharshi, located adjacent to Sri Ramanasramam.

The sacred red hill worshipped as an embodiment of Shiva; focus of the Girivalam circumambulation and the site of the Karthigai Deepam beacon flame.

Annual November-December festival at Arunachaleswarar Temple in which a giant ghee lamp is lit atop Mount Arunachala, visible for miles around.

Cave on the south-east slope of Arunachala where Ramana Maharshi lived for about 17 years (1899-1916), named after the 13th-century saint Virupaksha Deva entombed there.

One of the five Pancha Bhoota Stalams representing the element of fire, this vast temple complex sprawls across roughly 25 acres at the foot of Arunachala hill and hosts the annual Karthigai Deepam festival.

Pavalakunru is a small rocky hillock on the eastern spur of Arunachala with an ancient Shiva temple traditionally hallowed by the sage Gautama Rishi. In late 1898 the young Ramana Maharshi lived in this temple, where his mother found him seated motionless and pleaded with him to return home. It is a revered stop for pilgrims and devotees of Ramana Maharshi near the Girivalam path.

Kuppanatham Dam, built in 1987 on the Solai River near Paramanandal in Chengam taluk, is the second-largest dam in Tiruvannamalai district after Sathanur, storing about 700 Mcft. Set amid mountains, the surrounding village and its seasonal waterfalls are a popular local picnic spot. The scenic valley has featured in Tamil films including Marumalarchi and Samudhiram.

Goddess Renugambal temple at Padavedu, a historic village near Polur once a Vijayanagara-era administrative centre with several old shrines.