Varuna Lingam

Varuna Lingam is one of the Ashta Lingams situated along the 14 km Girivalam path encircling Arunachala Hill in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. Located on the western side of the hill, it is dedicated to Lord Shiva and associated with Varuna, the guardian deity of the west and water element. The small open shrine is an important stop during Girivalam circumambulation and is visited by pilgrims performing parikrama around the sacred hill.

Visitors can expect a small, open roadside shrine along the Girivalam path with a Shiva Lingam enshrined under a simple mandapa, accompanied by a Nandi statue. The setting is along the paved circumambulation road around Arunachala Hill with passing pilgrims, small stalls and temple bells. The shrine is not a large temple complex but a focused worship stop where visitors can offer prayers, light lamps and observe Girivalam pilgrims walking or performing pradakshina.

Varuna Lingam is part of the Ashta Lingam tradition associated with the Arunachaleswarar Temple and Arunachala Hill, a major Shaivite centre in Tamil Nadu. The eight Lingams are believed to have been installed at the eight directions around the hill to represent the Ashta Dikpalas (guardians of directions), with Varuna Lingam representing the west. The Girivalam practice of circumambulating Arunachala is an ancient pilgrimage tradition linked to the hill's identity as a manifestation of Shiva.

The shrine holds religious significance for devotees of Lord Shiva as one of the Ashta Lingams worshipped during Girivalam. It is associated with Varuna, the Vedic deity of water, and the water element among the Pancha Bhootas. Pilgrims believe worship here brings blessings related to water, purification and protection, and visiting all eight Lingams during Girivalam is considered auspicious, especially on full-moon nights and during Karthigai Deepam.