The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

The Karthika Deepam festival is celebrated during the day of the full moon between November and December, and a huge beacon is lit atop the hill.

[4][5][6] In Hindu mythology, Parvati, wife of Shiva, once closed the eyes of her husband playfully in a flower garden at their palace atop Mount Kailash.

[7] Then Shiva appeared as a column of fire at the top of the Arunachala hill, returning light to the world and saw Parvati.

[10] Another legend is that once, while Vishnu and Brahma contested for superiority, Shiva appeared as a flame, and challenged them to find his source.

[11][12] Brahma took the form of a swan, and flew to the sky to see the top of the flame, while Vishnu became the boar Varaha, and sought its base.

[11] The scene is called Lingodbhava, and is usually represented in the western wall at the sanctum sanctorum of most Shiva and Parvati temples.

The inscriptions from the Chola king record various gifts like land, sheep, cow and oil to the temple commemorating various victories of the dynasty.

[17] The town of Tiruvannamalai was at a strategic crossroads during the Vijayanagara Empire, connecting sacred centers of pilgrimage and military routes.

As European incursions progressed, Tiruvannamalai was attacked by French Soupries, Sambrinet, and the English Captain Stephen Smith.

Widespread protests and litigation with the Supreme Court of India, however, led the Archaeological Survey to cede the temple back to the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board.

The present masonry and towers date back to the 9th century CE, as seen from an inscription in the structure made by Chola kings who ruled at that time.

[25] The Tanjavuri Andhra Raja Charitamu mentions that Krishnadevaraya built the tower and the outer precincts of the temple.

The main shrine of Arunachalesvara faces east, housing images of Nandi and Surya, and is the oldest structure in the temple.

Sambantha Vinayagar, the elephant god shrine, is located to the north of the flagstaff and the Bali peeta, or platform for sacrifice.

The temple tree, Magizha, is considered sacred and medicinal, and childless couples tie small cradles to its branches in obeisance.

A stone trident is present in the outer shrine of the temple in open air, and has protective railings like a sacred tree.

[5][33] The pillars in the hall are carved with images of yali, a mythological beast with body of lion and head of an elephant, a symbol of Nayak power.

The temple rituals are performed by pandit six times a day; Ushatkalam at 5:30 a.m., Kalashanti at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 8:00 p.m. and Arddha Jamam at 10:00 p.m.[35] Each ritual comprises four steps: abhishekam (sacred bath), alankaram (decoration), naivedyam (food offering) and deepa aradhanai (waving of lamps) for both Arunachaleshvara and Unnamulai Amman.

[39][6] According to Hindu legend, the walk removes sins, fulfils desires and helps achieve freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth.

On the day of yearly Chitra Pournami, the full moon of the Tamil calendar, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come from across the world to worship Arunachalesvara.

The festival deities of Arunachalesvara and Unnamamulai Amman are taken out of the temple to Tiruoodal street to enact the oodal (or love tiff) between the two in the evening.

[41] In Arunachalesvara temple, Shiva is said to have manifested himself as a massive column of fire, whose crown and feet could not be found by the Hindu gods, Brahma and Vishnu.

[43] Sambandar, a 7th-century CE Tamil Shaivite poet, venerated Arunachalesvara and Unnamulai in ten verses in Tevaram, compiled as the First Tirumurai.

[46] Manikkavacakar, a 9th-century CE Tamil saint and poet, revered Arunachalesvara and Unnamalai in his writings, describing the two deities as "Annamalai" and "Apitakuchambal".