Saints of Arunachala · The poet of Tiruvannamalai
Arunagirinathar: the saint saved at the gopuram
Tiruvannamalai's own saint ~ who in despair threw himself from the great temple tower, was caught and transformed by Murugan, and rose singing the first of the sixteen thousand songs of the Tiruppugazh.
The short version
- Who
- Arunagirinathar ~ 14th-century saint-poet, born in Tiruvannamalai.
- The story
- In despair he leapt from the temple gopuram; Murugan caught and transformed him.
- His work
- The Tiruppugazh ~ ~16,000 songs by tradition, ~1,300 surviving; a Tamil classic.
- The tie
- It all began at the Arunachaleswarar temple; he lived his last years here.
Of all the saints tied to Arunachala, none belongs to Tiruvannamalai as completely as Arunagirinathar. He was born here, he fell here, he was saved here, and here he began the outpouring of song that would make him one of the immortals of Tamil devotional poetry. His story ~ told for six centuries ~ turns on a single, terrible, redeeming moment at the great temple, and it is one of the most beloved tales in all of Tamil Shaivism.
A life thrown away
Arunagirinathar was born in Tiruvannamalai in the fourteenth century, into the age of the Vijayanagara kings. The traditional accounts tell of a young man of great gifts who squandered them utterly ~ a life of dissipation and ruin, his health and his fortune spent, until he came at last to a place of total despair. Emptied, ashamed, and seeing nothing left to live for, he climbed the great tower of the Arunachaleswarar temple, and threw himself from the gopuram to end his life.
The rescue
He did not die. As he fell, the tradition holds, Lord Murugan ~ the son of Shiva ~ caught him, and in that instant transformed him utterly. The broken, dissolute man was made whole; his diseases left him; and where there had been despair, there was now an ecstatic, overflowing love of God. The first thing that rose from him, in the moment of his rescue, was a song ~ the verse beginning “Muthai tharu...” ~ and it was the first of thousands.
He climbed the tower in despair and let himself fall ~ and was caught, and remade, and the first thing that rose from him was a song.
The Tiruppugazh
From that day, Arunagirinathar became a wanderer-poet of God. He walked the length and breadth of South India, visiting temple after temple, and everywhere he went a stream of new songs poured out of him in praise of Murugan, his deliverer. Tradition says he composed some sixteen thousand songs; most are lost, but more than thirteen hundred survive, gathered in the work called the Tiruppugazh ~ “the Glory of God” ~ which has become one of the true classics of Tamil devotional literature, prized for its dazzling metrical intricacy as much as its devotion. He also composed the profound Kandar Anubhuti and other works.
The saint and the king
The traditional life includes a famous episode at the court of the local king, Praudha Devaraya. Arunagirinathar, indifferent to worldly power, at first ignored the king's summons. Later accounts tell of a contest with a rival at court, in which Arunagirinathar called upon Murugan to appear ~ and the god manifested before the assembly, vindicating his devotee. Like much in the traditional life, this belongs to sacred legend rather than documented history; but it expresses a truth the tradition holds dear ~ that the god comes when his true devotee calls.
The story above is the traditional account, cherished and retold for centuries. Scholars note that the historical and biographical evidence in Arunagirinathar's own poetry suggests the traditional life has been considerably embellished over time ~ as saints' lives often are. We tell it here as the tradition tells it, which is how it lives and is loved, while being honest that the miraculous elements are devotional legend, not established fact. What is certain is the poetry, and that it began at this temple.
His presence at Arunachala
Arunagirinathar spent the last part of his life in Tiruvannamalai, and his tie to the temple where it all began has never faded. For the visitor who knows his story, the great gopuram of the Arunachaleswarar temple carries an added weight ~ it is the tower from which a ruined man fell into the arms of God and rose a poet. It is a story, above all, of grace: that no one is beyond saving, and that the depth of a fall can become the height of a song.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Arunagirinathar?
Arunagirinathar was a 14th-century Tamil saint-poet, born in Tiruvannamalai. After a dissolute early life he attempted suicide by leaping from the Arunachaleswarar temple gopuram; tradition holds that Murugan saved and transformed him. He then composed the Tiruppugazh, one of the classics of Tamil devotional literature.
What is the story of Arunagirinathar and the gopuram?
In deep despair after a ruined life, Arunagirinathar climbed the great tower (gopuram) of the Arunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai and threw himself off to end his life. The tradition holds that Lord Murugan caught him and transformed him utterly ~ and the first thing that rose from him was a song, the first of the Tiruppugazh.
What is the Tiruppugazh?
The Tiruppugazh (‘the Glory of God’) is Arunagirinathar's collection of devotional songs in praise of Murugan. Tradition says he composed some 16,000; more than 1,300 survive. It is celebrated for its extraordinary metrical intricacy as well as its devotion, and is one of the treasures of Tamil literature.
Is the story of Arunagirinathar history or legend?
It is traditional sacred biography, cherished and retold for centuries. Scholars note that evidence in his own poetry suggests the traditional life has been embellished over time, as saints' lives often are. The miraculous rescue is best understood as devotional legend; what is historically certain is the poetry, and that it is tied to this temple.
Last updated 4 October 2026. Drawn from Tamil Shaiva tradition and the sacred texts; retold in original words. Where a story is devotional tradition rather than documented history, we have said so.