Tiruvannamalai is situated at the margin of hill and plain it is a contact town, at the junction of two important arterial roads. Tiruvannamalai played a crucial role in military operations from at least the 15th century onwards up to the end of the Mysore wars.

The Arunachala Temple is one of the largest in the South. It is dominated by the 200 ft., 11 storey gopuram. There is also ashram of the mystic saint Sri Ramana Maharshi.

It is impossible to ignore this town because of the great area occupied by the Shiva temple, the many processions, and the frequent festivals, especially that of Karthigai, the festival of fire, which more than doubles the population. This influx of pilgrims is received in choultries or hostels, most of which are situated in the north and south car-streets.

Another aspect of the temple which has determined the physical form of the town was the construction of the fourth and fifth enclosures. This important extension caused the relocation of residences, especially of brahmins (gurukkal priests, or smarta Brahmins), who would usually live around the temple in the square formed by the four car-streets.

At Tiruvannamalai, the west car-street behind the temple has very few houses because of mountain slopes upward almost immediately. The only gurukkal brahmin residences near the temple are those in the north car-street. As for the east and south streets, which follow the main regional highways, they are quite naturally crowded with shops, and also hotels for pilgrims, who thus benefit from the passing processions. For these reasons the smarta Brahmin quarter was located relatively far away from the temple, almost at the old town limits, around the Ayyan Kulam or Indra Tirtha Tank.

Besides occupying a large area, the great temple radiates its influence throughout the whole town due to its connections with outlying tanks. The sacred bath which takes place at the close of each of the numerous temple festivals is performed either in one of the two temple tanks, or in one of the outlying tanks: Indra Tirtha, Tamarai Kulam, Agni Tirtha, and Ishanya Tirtha. The last two of these lie at the two extremities of the circumambulatory route around the mountain; that is, at the outer limits of the town, where the cremation grounds lie. For this reason they are used for ablutions after funerals.

In Tiruvannamalai the Shiva temple is omnipresent and all-powerful, so that there is no Vishnu temple. Apart from three abandoned Shiva temples, there are about a hundred temples to the goddess or to Ganapati. These are street shrines or community temples, all of which relate to the great Shiva temple. During their festivals the processions from these temples proceed through the four car-streets of the great temple. The final bath takes place, depending on the location of the temple, either in the Ishanya Tirtha to the north or in the Agni Tirtha to the south.

Tiruvannamalai is a Railway station in the Villupuram - Katpadi line of the Southern Railway. It is 70 kilometers from Villupuram and 97 kilometers from Katpadi. It was in North Arcot District and is the Headquarters of a taluk of the same name. Tiruvannamalai itself is announced as a District in the Year of 1988 and there functions a Collectorate from that Year onwards. Till 1911 this taluk was attached to the South Arcot District. Tiruvannamalai is a Municipal town having a population of about one and half lakhs.There are the Deputy Collector's Office, Taluk Office, Subordinate Judge's District Munsiff's and Magistrate's courts, Government Hospital, Municipal Dispensary, Maternity Home, Engineering Colleges,Arts Colleges, Polytecnics, Higher secondary schools, Post and Telegraph Office and Telephone Exchange. There are many good hotels, Choultries, Matams, Boarding and Lodging Houses to serve as resting places.There is a Traveler's Bungalow maintained by the Municipality. The temple authorities are running a rest house called Unnamalai Amman rest house with all modern amenities. Apart from railway connection buses ply to this place from all directions viz.Chennai, Bangalore, Chidambaram, Salem, Pondicherry, Vellore, Thiruchirapalli, Kancheepuram, Tindivanam, Cuddalore, Cheyyar, Vandiwashi and Chengam. So one can reach the place easily from any direction.