Plan your trip · The temple

Visiting the temple: etiquette and what to know

How to enter the great Arunachaleswarar temple with ease and respect ~ dress, footwear, phones, darshan, entry ~ including the small practical questions that first-time and foreign visitors are often too shy to ask aloud.

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The Arunachaleswarar temple is vast ~ twenty-five acres, nine towering gateways, a place of worship for well over a thousand years ~ and the first time you step inside it can be genuinely bewildering: the scale, the noise, the ritual, the sheer press of devotion happening all around you in a language and a form you may not follow. That bewilderment is completely normal, and it passes. What helps is knowing a few simple things in advance, so that you can relax into the place rather than worry about doing something wrong.

Here, plainly, is everything a first-time or foreign visitor tends to wonder about ~ including the small questions people are often too shy to ask.

Yes, you are welcome

Let's answer the biggest quiet worry first: you do not need to be Hindu, and you do not need to be religious. The temple welcomes visitors of all faiths and nationalities. Entry is free. Non-Hindus may enter the great pillared halls and most of the shrines. You are allowed simply to walk, to sit at the edge of a hall and watch, to be present without performing anything. Nobody expects you to know the rituals. Move quietly, follow the general flow of people, and you will be fine.

What to wear

Dress modestly ~ shoulders and knees covered, for both men and women. Loose, comfortable, covering clothing is both respectful and practical in the heat. You needn't wear Indian dress (though many enjoy doing so); simply avoid shorts, short skirts, and sleeveless or revealing tops. Because you'll be removing your footwear, shoes that slip on and off easily save trouble.

Footwear ~ leaving your shoes

You remove your shoes before entering the temple ~ this applies to everyone, and it is not optional. There are stalls outside the entrances where you can leave them, usually for a rupee or two, and collect them afterwards. Some people bring a cloth bag and carry their own; either is fine. Bear in mind the stone can be hot underfoot in the middle of the day, another reason the early morning is kinder.

Phones, cameras and photography

Be discreet. Photography rules vary within the temple, and phones and cameras are generally not permitted in the innermost sanctums, where the main deity is enshrined. Look for signs, watch what others do, and when in doubt, put the phone away ~ you lose nothing, and a few unphotographed minutes in front of the shrine are often the ones you remember. Never use flash near the deity or worshippers, and never photograph the inner sanctum.

Darshan and the queues

Darshan means, simply, the act of seeing and being seen by the deity ~ the heart of a temple visit. At quiet times you can approach the shrines with little waiting. At busy times ~ festival days, full moons, weekends ~ expect long queues, and know that some temples offer a special-entry ticket that shortens the wait for a modest fee. You are under no obligation to do anything at the shrine; watch, fold your hands if you wish, receive the priest's blessing or the sacred ash if it is offered, and move on when the flow moves.

A few more practical notes

• Timings. The temple opens early, closes for a long midday break, and reopens into the night. The early morning, around opening, is the calmest and, many feel, the most beautiful time to be there. Confirm current timings locally ~ they shift with the seasons and festivals.
• Monkeys. There are monkeys around the temple and the hill. Don't carry food openly, don't tease them, and keep a hand on your bag ~ they are quick and unsentimental.
• Offerings. You may be offered sacred ash (vibhuti) or vermilion; receiving it is a blessing, not an obligation. Small donations are welcomed but never demanded for entry ~ entry is free.
• The circuit. Walking clockwise around the inner shrine (keeping it on your right) is the traditional way to move through a temple, echoing the great circumambulation of the hill outside.

Last updated 2 September 2026. Temple timings and rules can change and vary by season and festival; please confirm current details on arrival.