Ramana Maharshi arrives at Tiruvannamalai
Aged sixteen, Venkataraman, afterwards known as Ramana Maharshi, left Madurai for Arunachala hill at Tiruvannamalai and remained there until his death.
Venkataraman of Madurai was 16 when, in 1896, he went through a 'death-experience', which he later spoke of as waking up to his true self. Roughly six weeks afterwards he quit his uncle's house in Madurai and made his way to Arunachala hill at Tiruvannamalai. There he spent the rest of his life as a renunciant, living at first in the temples on the hill and nearby. As Ramana Maharshi he taught the practice of self-enquiry, attracting followers from India and overseas, and in time an ashram took shape around him.
