Pavala Kundru is a craggy outcrop of rock to the north of the Arunachaleswarar Temple. Though the name literally translates as ‘Coral Hill’, it is made up of rugged, grey, granite blocks that tower a couple of hundred feet above the surrounding town of Thiruvannamalai. It has been a traditional part of the town’s spiritual landscape for centuries; Bhagavan mentioned that it was one of the possible places that Parvati did tapas in the stories that are chronicled in the Arunachala Mahatmyam and Arunachala Puranam.
It earns its name because the rays of the rising sun are supposed to turn the whole rock to a lovely coral red. This less-known temple can be approached from the town through a little street leading off the Durgai Amman temple about 1 km after the main bus terminus. There is a good stone staircase hewn against the rock to climb up to the temple.


