Here is your short paragraph on Thiruvannamalai Siva Temple:

The Siva temple at the foot of the hill, Tiruvannamalai, 170 kilometer from Madras, is one of the largest and most famous temples of Tamil Nadu as it is the seat of the Jyothir lingam, deifying fire.

This Jyothir lingam or Tejo lingam is referred to as the oldest hill on earth in the Puranas. The celebrations of the temple in the month of Karthigai are well attended by pilgrims.

The ten-day activity of the temple town culminates in the lighting of the beacon on the hill. A cauldron, four metres high is taken to the top of the hill along a 12 kilometres long route and on reaching the summit it is filled with 1000 kilograms of ghee. A wick, made of 350 metres of cotton material, is then inserted and lit at an appointed hour.

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The flame shoots up to about two metres and is visible as a point of light for a forty-kilometre radius. A legend goes like this that a quarrel broke out between Brahma and Vishnu over their superiority and to settle this dispute Lord Siva was manifested in a colossal column of five (jothi).

Brahma and Vishnu took the forms of a swan and a boar, respectively and tried to find the top and bottom of the self-luminious column.

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Failing in their efforts they stood before the Lord with their conceit defeated. Lord Siva forgave them, at the same time making them understand he alone was omnipotent. He also promised to appear on top of the hill every year and to commemorate this event a beacon is lit on the hill every Kritika day during the month of Karthigai each year.

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