Legend has it that even the great Lord Rama came to Arunachala and performed giri pradakshina. Devotees probably know the story of Ramayana. In the Ramayana, Rama goes on war against Ravana in order to save and bring back his wife, Sita, who had been abducted by Ravana and placed in captivity in the Ashokavanam, a garden in Sri Lanka. After a long drawn battle in which Rama is helped by Hanuman and the monkey warriors, they succeed in winning back Sita. However in the process of the battle, Rama commits some sins due to his bad karma like killing Sugreeva from behind and sending Sita away to the forest.

Rama therefore incurred doshas (impurities) and underwent lot of suffering. He then went to Nandi, the divine bull and holy mount of Lord Shiva and asked what should be done in order to expiate his sins and be rid of suffering. Nandi in a thundering voice tells Rama to go to Arunachala, the holy hill, embodiment of Lord Shiva and do tapas there and circumambulate the Hill with devotion and he adds, moreover, that this was the only penance which would expiate all his doshas and purify him again. And thus Rama himself comes to Arunachala and performs giri pradakshina.

Today, as a way of commemorating this momentous event, a shrine has been built on the outer girivalam path just a few metres after the Surya lingam shrine. It presents an enormous sculpture of the feet of Sri Rama and behind is a statue of  Vishnu in the form of Muralidharan. Not to be outdone, there is also a Nandi and five faced Shiva in the same courtyard. In a little room at the back covered with hindu religious images and idols sits an impish faced Swami who has made this shrine and also officiates as the temple priest. Called ‘Kaattu Swami’ he grins broadly at people and assures them that taking darshan of the Holy Feet and then going around the Hill would grant one Moksha (Liberation)…

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