name
Annamalai
un-nah-mah-LYE
ʌnːɑːmɑːˈlaɪListen
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Syllable breakdown
Annamalai
Name meaning and origin
- Origin
- Tamil (South India / Sri Lanka)
- Meaning
- a compound Tamil masculine name and the name of the sacred hill Annamalai at Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, meaning the hill of food or the mountain of Anna, where Anna refers to the sacred grain that sustains life; Annamalai is one of the most sacred sites in the Tamil Saiva tradition, the hill being identified with Siva himself in the form of the Annamalaiyar — the lord of Annamalai — worshipped at the Arunachaleswarar Temple, which is one of the largest temple complexes in the world; the hill is also associated with the realised sage Ramana Maharshi, who spent his entire adult life at its foot and drew seekers from around the world to Thiruvannamalai; the name conveys both the physical grandeur of the sacred hill and the spiritual significance of Siva's presence in the form of fire and light; it is used throughout Tamil Nadu and the diaspora as a name expressing deep Saiva devotion and connection to one of Tamil religion's most sacred pilgrimage sites
- Gender
- male
- Also spelled
- Arunachalam, Annamalay
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