Are you planning for your first or nth girivalam pradakshina around Arunachala? Here I have listed out a comprehensive preparation checklist for you to use. Being prepared would help you get the best experience of the Girivalam and avoid difficulties like exhaustion, dehydration, injuries and so on.

If you don’t know about the Arunachala Girivalam, please refer to my introduction blog post about it: https://maproute.in/discover-the-girivalam-circumambulating-the-sacred-hill-of-arunachala-in-tiruvannamalai-tamil-nadu/

Taking Up a Spiritual Practice Before a Pilgrimage

Before you embark on a pilgrimage it is advised to take up some simple spiritual practice to make you more receptive to the place/deity when you reach there.

For the sacred hill Arunachalam, here are some ideas for you:

• Play some of the chants available on YouTube specifically: Aksharamanamalai, Arunachala Shiva chant
• Read some of Ramana Maharshi’s books… they are inevitably filled with the love for this sacred hill.
• Keep a photo of Arunachala around you.
• Some folks take up the chant of Arunachala name.

Whatever excites you.

Your Girivalam Route

Starting Point

Ramana devotees often start their pilgrimage from Ramanashramam. Traditionally, Hindus would start from Arunachaleshwarar temple. Other ashram devotees may start from their ashrams also. If some other place enroute is very significant for you, you can start from there. There is no hard and fast rule about this. Mainly, you should return back to the point you are starting at to consider it a completed pradakshina. After all, Tiruvannamalai is such a mingling pot of different ashrams, types of yogis and spiritual community. You can explore your own inclinations without being tied down by any set rules.

Planning which temples to visit on your Girivalam

I have written a long blog post on this because there are a LOT of different temples you can choose to visit on the Girivalam path. Please see here. https://maproute.in/girivalam-temples-to-visit-on-your-pradakshina-around-arunachala/

Choose the Weather, Day and Time

The weather in Tiruvannamalai is VERY hot in summer. Please don’t take this lightly. It is considered a sadhana to simply be in Tiruvannamalai in summer and bear the heat. So, if you plan to do girivalam in the summer, be properly prepared and choose the coolest time of day like late night and early morning.

As much as possible, plan for a winter girivalam – it would be much more pleasant! Winter afternoons will also be warm, but nothing too uncomfortable.

As per traditional advise, all the days tend to have some significance for specific deities. So, if you like you can pick a Monday, which is considered Shiva’s day. Or if you are doing the walk for some other deity then you can pick the day accordingly.

However, I personally don’t feel we need to consider “auspiciousness” as a factor because Girivalam and Arunachala is a huge beacon of “auspicious”. We don’t need anything more. Any time and day for Girivalam in the best one.

Full moon nights: There is a local belief about the full moon Girivalam around Arunachala being highly beneficial. Many devotees are there to get some wishes fulfilled. But mostly from spiritual perspective, the full moon and new moon could be considered slightly more conducive for certain sadhana. So, if you want to make use of those days you can. However, do keep in mind that full moon nights are very crowded – even on a non-festive pournami, there are about 1 or 2 lakh devotees coming down for this pilgrimage.

Special festive full moons like Chitra Pournami or Kartigai Pournami, the numbers can be as high as 10 lakh devotees! So, you then have to prepare accordingly – heaps of garbage, bathroom difficulties, chaos and so on.

Read my experience of Kartik Purnima Giripradakshina here: https://maproute.in/arunachala-mahadeepam-tiruvannamalai-my-solo-yatra-on-karthik-purnima/ or even better watch my vlog on this:

For your First Girivalam, I would always suggest choosing a quiet time, which makes you available to experience the presence of Arunachala. However, if you feel a certain pull towards a certain time or day, then please choose accordingly!

Fitness Preparations for 14 km Padyatra

Walking regularly for about 5 to 7 kms in a relaxed manner would help you prepare in advance. If you want to be fitter, you can of course prepare more. But I feel the 14 kms walk, is more of a psychological and devotional activity. Basic good fitness and ability to walk 5 kms should be enough. Beyond that it is usually some karmic thing about how tough or easy a pilgrimage is. Some fit people also end up finding this kind of pilgrimage difficult, maybe due to some karmic blocks getting triggered.

What To Carry During Girivalam?

Alms for the Sadhus & Beggars:

There are a lot of sadhus and beggars who stay on the girivalam path. They are constantly asking for alms. If you wish to give anything to them, remember to keep smaller notes or food items or whatever else you wish to offer. Smaller notes are also useful when you visit temples to put into the hundi or the pujari tray.

Hydration:

You will require water on the route. You can carry a bottle of your own – maybe about 700 ml, so it is not too heavy when it’s full. You will find water points where you can refill the bottle. OR you can buy a water bottle, there are shops all around the Girivalam route. I would generally recommend not buying those plastic bottled water – because they aren’t very healthy (with plastic toxins leaching into the water) and also because it creates plastic trash. But in this case, everyone may not be able to carry a bottle due to the additional weight – so the option of buying is possible.

Which ever way you procure the water, please remember that you need to drink normal water or clinical ORS beverage to get hydrated. If you opt for beverages like tea, coffee, soft drinks – they are NOT hydrating. In fact, due to the sugar/caffeine in them, these drinks are often more dehydrating. So, please be very careful. If you are opting for an ORS drink, ensure it is WHO approved ORS which is actually hydrating. And not some fruit beverage full of sugar with misleading names like ORSL.

Food:

I usually don’t eat on Girivalam. That’s how I prefer doing it. Though it is not a hard and fast rule. Once I had gone with friends, and they do the yatra in a cheerful manner snacking every now and then.

A heavy meal would slow down your walking speed. Plus, it is not said to be conducive for meditation. So, I suggest at least keep some empty space in your tummy to ensure a powerful experience.

The Nandini Cafe is opposite the Surya lingam. That can be a great (though a little expensive) stop for some delicious eating 😀 (map location here)

Footwear:

A lot of people do this walk bare foot. That is an option to consider. The road tends to be clean enough. However, we are still walking on tarred roads, so it is not like we can maintain touch with Earth. So, I feel wearing footwear is also totally fine.

Any footwear that is recommended for long walks is fine. Normal sports shoes or sports floaters are probably better than the day-to-day chappal or sandals.

Headgear:

Please consider a cap, hat or dupatta to cover the head while you go for a Girivalam during daytime. This will help you protect yourself from direct sunlight which might be very draining. If you have a dupatta or stole to cover your head – you have the great advantage of dousing it in water and draping it around in case of TOO MUCH HEAT.

Note: auto rickshaws are available all around the Girivalam route. So, you don’t need to get too worried. If you can’t finish the walk or have some injury or health issue crop up – you can abort at any time. So, maintain a cheerful and relaxed state of mind as you walk around the holy hill 😊

That’s all I can think of in terms of a Prep Sheet for the Girivalam. If you have any more Questions, do ping me!

Arunachala Girivalam is a unique opportunity to connect with the divine and experience a profound spiritual journey. By preparing yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually, you can make the most of this sacred pilgrimage and create lasting memories and personal transformation. Embrace the experience with an open heart and a peaceful mind, and let the spiritual energy of Arunachala guide you on your path.