Arunachalam Temple An independent guide to Tiruvannamalai

Ramana Maharshi's Five Hymns to Arunachala

Ramana Maharshi taught mostly in silence and in answers to questions. His hymns to Arunachala are a rare exception: devotional poems addressed to the hill itself. This is a short introduction to them, and to where you can read them in full.

Reviewed by the ArunachalamTemple.org editorial team Last updated: Editorial policy

A painted mural of Ramana Maharshi seated before Arunachala, beside the path to Virupaksha Cave and Skandashram
Photo: Karthyk6290, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

A teacher who wrote to a hill

For Ramana Maharshi, Arunachala was not a backdrop but the heart of his devotion. He spoke of the hill as his Guru and as Shiva himself. During his years on its slopes, at Virupaksha Cave (1899–1916) and Skandashram (1916–1922), he composed a set of devotional hymns addressed to it. They became known together as the Five Hymns to Arunachala (Arunachala Stuti Panchakam).

The five hymns

  1. Arunachala Aksharamanamalai. Usually translated as “The Marital Garland of Letters” (Wikipedia names it as the first of the hymns). It is an alphabetical garland of verses in which each verse begins with a successive letter of the Tamil alphabet, with a refrain calling on Arunachala Shiva. It is the best known of the five, and it is sung at the ashram and by devotees on Girivalam.
  2. Arunachala Navamanimalai, “The Necklace of Nine Gems”.
  3. Arunachala Patikam, “Eleven Verses to Arunachala”.
  4. Arunachala Ashtakam, “Eight Stanzas to Arunachala”.
  5. Arunachala Pancharatnam, “Five Gems”, composed in Sanskrit.

The four Tamil hymns and the Sanskrit Pancharatnam move between longing, surrender and the direct recognition of the Self, which in his teaching the hill both symbolises and is.

Why they matter to visitors

Many devotees read or sing the hymns on the Girivalam path or in the Old Hall of Sri Ramanasramam. You don’t need to know them to walk around the hill. But knowing that the refrain Arunachala Shiva comes from them helps explain the chant you’ll hear on the road.

Where to read them

The hymns are published by Sri Ramanasramam, with translations and commentaries, and are available at the ashram’s bookshop and through its official website. We don’t reproduce the texts here. Read them in an authorised edition, ideally with the ashram’s notes.

Visit the places they were written

Sources & references

  1. Ramana MaharshiWikipediaReference work · checked27 September 2026
  2. Sri Ramanasramam – official websiteSri RamanasramamInstitution · checked27 September 2026

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This is an independent informational guide, not the official temple website. For darshan tickets, sevas and donations, use the official HR&CE temple website.