Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings matter more than most pilgrims expect, because the small hill closes its gate earlier than the sanctum suggests. The Yoga Anjaneyar shrine on Chinna Malai sits about 406 steep steps above the town, with no ropeway to help you. So a late start ruins the visit far more often than a crowd does. Get the hour right and the rest of the day falls into place.
Sri Vyasa Pooja is an independent temple guide. We are not affiliated with the Arulmigu Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Sholinghur, or with the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE). We take no bookings, donations or payments. Please use the temple’s own official website and its counters for every ticket.
Sholingur at a Glance
- Temple: Arulmigu Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Sholinghur, Ranipet district, Tamil Nadu (PIN 631102)
- Two hills: Periya Malai for Sri Yoga Narasimhar, Chinna Malai for Sri Yoga Anjaneyar
- Steps: about 1,305 up the big hill and about 406 up the small hill
- Darshan cost: free at both shrines; sevas and abhishekams carry counter tickets
- Typical hill hours: roughly 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM at both shrines
- Divya Desam status: Thirukkadigai, one of the 108 Divya Desams sung by the Alvars
- Distance: about 110 km from Chennai and 30 km from Arakkonam Junction
Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings on Chinna Malai
The Yoga Anjaneyar shrine generally opens around 8:00 AM and closes about 5:30 PM. Since the climb takes roughly twenty minutes up and fifteen down, plan to start no later than 4:30 PM. Most devotees finish the big hill by 10:00 AM and reach Anjaneyar well before noon.
Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings appear inconsistently across travel sites. Published opening hours vary between 8:00 AM and 8:30 AM. The gate at the foot of the steps can also shut before the sanctum does.
So confirm on the official temple page the week you travel. A half-hour difference decides whether you climb for nothing.
Chinna Malai sits barely half a kilometre from the big hill, an easy walk or a two-minute auto ride. Although the step count is far lower, the gradient is sharper. Older knees often find the small hill harder than the big one.
How Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings fit with the big hill
Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings only make sense beside the big hill schedule, because Sholingur is really three shrines. Each keeps its own rhythm. The two hill temples share broadly similar hours, while the town temple below stays open longer. Do the big hill first, because the sun turns brutal after mid-morning.
| Shrine | Deity | Climb | Typical hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Periya Malai (Big Hill) | Sri Yoga Narasimhar with Amruthavalli Thayar | About 1,305 steps, roughly 750 ft | About 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM |
| Chinna Malai (Small Hill) | Sri Yoga Anjaneyar, four-armed | About 406 steps, short but steep | About 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM |
| Town temple | Bhaktavatsala Perumal | Ground level, no climb | Morning and evening sessions |
A realistic day looks like this. Start the big hill at first light, reach the sanctum in forty to sixty minutes, and come down by 10:00 AM. Then rest, eat, and take Chinna Malai before the midday glare settles in.
Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings for the weekly thirumanjanam
The temple’s own official page lists a weekly pattern that most travel blogs miss entirely. Periya Malai holds thirumanjanam every Friday at about 7:00 AM. Chinna Malai holds thirumanjanam for Yoga Anjaneyar every Sunday at about 9:00 AM.
Sunday therefore anchors Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings for anyone who wants the abhishekam, and it is also the busiest day on the small hill. Tradition ties this to the belief that Anjaneya vanquished the asura here on a Sunday. If a quiet darshan matters more, pick a weekday morning instead.
Do Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings need an online booking?
No ticket exists for general darshan at either hill, so there is nothing to reserve online. Both shrines admit devotees free through a single public queue. The temple runs an official page under HR&CE, and some sevas may open for online payment there, but darshan itself needs no booking.
This matters because dozens of pages promise a booking link and then simply point at the temple’s home page. The wider HR&CE department portal has been expanding online seva payment across Tamil Nadu temples. Since that rollout happens temple by temple, check the temple’s own page for the current list.
Several things stay strictly over the counter, whatever a private site claims:
- Rope car tickets: sold only at the counter near the big hill base, never online
- Doli or palanquin: arranged on the spot with the bearers, price negotiated then and there
- Archanai and abhishekam slips: usually issued at the temple counter on the day
- Prasadam: bought at the stall, with puliyodharai, sweet pongal and curd rice the usual choices
Because none of these travel through a website, be wary of any private page that offers to arrange them for a fee. No genuine temple service asks you to upload identity documents to a private site for a free darshan.
The rope car, the doli and 1,305 steps
A rope car serves the Periya Malai shrine, which is a genuine relief for elders. There is no ropeway to the Anjaneyar hill, so Chinna Malai means steps for everyone. That single fact reshapes many family itineraries. It also means Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings must allow for a slower, unaided climb.
Reported fares differ sharply between sources. Some list ₹15 one way and ₹30 return, while devotees who travelled more recently report around ₹100 for a round trip. Service has also paused for maintenance in the past, so confirm the fare and the running status at the counter itself.
Doli bearers wait near the foothill office and carry pilgrims who cannot climb. Rates are negotiated directly and vary with the season, so agree the amount before you sit down. We do not publish agent numbers, because the temple office is the only channel worth trusting.
Sevas, abhishekams and what the counters charge
Sholingur offers a long seva list across the two hills and the town temple, and the priests follow Vaikhanasa agama. Ticket amounts change when the trustees revise them, so treat any figure you read online as indicative only.
| Seva type | Where | Indicative cost band |
|---|---|---|
| Archanai, sandhana kappu, manjal kappu | Both hills | Low hundreds of rupees |
| Thirumanjanam participation | Periya Malai Friday, Chinna Malai Sunday | Counter ticket, confirm on the day |
| Padi pooja | Either hill | Around a thousand rupees and upward |
| Thirukkalyana utsavam | Temple, on notified days | Several thousand rupees |
Arrive at least an hour before a seva begins, because the counter closes the list once the priest starts. Carry cash as well, since card and UPI acceptance at hill counters can be patchy.
How to reach Sholingur
Sholinghur sits in Ranipet district, about a kilometre off the Arakkonam to Vellore road. Many older articles still place it in Vellore district, which stopped being accurate after Ranipet was carved out in 2019.
| From | Distance | Best route |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai | About 110 km | NH48 to Sriperumbudur, then via Arakkonam |
| Arakkonam Junction | About 30 km | Frequent buses and share autos |
| Vellore | About 52 km | Direct town buses |
| Tirupati | About 90 km | Road via Puttur or Nagari |
| Bengaluru | About 200 km | NH44 to Vellore, then east |
Sholingur has its own small railway station, yet the service frequency is thin. Arakkonam Junction is the practical railhead because express trains stop there through the day. You can check live train options on IRCTC before fixing your plan.
Buses halt at the Sholingur temple stop, and share autos run from the bus stand to the foot of the big hill. Chennai airport, about 107 km away, is the nearest large airport, while Tirupati airport is a shorter road hop for Andhra travellers.
Best season to plan Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings around
November to February is the kindest stretch, when the climb stays pleasant even at mid-morning. April to June is punishing, since granite steps radiate heat and shade is scarce above the halfway mantapam. In those months, treat 7:00 AM as your real deadline rather than a suggestion.
Festival days rewrite the schedule completely. Karthigai and Brahmotsavam crowds slow both climbs, so allow several extra hours. Water and buttermilk stalls appear partway up each hill, although prices climb with the altitude.
Festival months follow the Tamil calendar rather than fixed dates. Chittirai Brahmotsavam falls in April or May, Narasimha Jayanthi in May or June, and Karthigai Thiruvizha in November or December. Confirm the exact dates on the official temple page before booking travel.
What first-timers get wrong about Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings
The mistakes repeat themselves, and almost all of them trace back to misreading Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings. Almost all are avoidable.
- Leaving Chinna Malai for late afternoon. Heat and an early closing gate ruin more Anjaneyar visits than anything else.
- Assuming a ropeway to Anjaneyar. The rope car serves only the big hill, while the small hill is steps alone.
- Trusting one blog’s hours. Sources disagree by half an hour, and festival days shift everything.
- Paying a third party. Nobody can sell you priority entry to a free queue, so close any checkout page that tries.
- Carrying loose bags. Monkeys on both hills snatch food, spectacles and phones with real speed.
Climbing safely: heat, monkeys and health notes
This is a physically demanding pilgrimage, not a drive-up shrine. Roughly 1,305 steps in south Indian sun is real exertion. So anyone with a cardiac, respiratory or joint condition should speak to a doctor first. Elderly pilgrims are far better served by the rope car on the big hill.
Carry at least a litre of water per person and start before 7:30 AM whenever you can. Keep prasadam sealed inside a zipped bag, since monkeys read a plastic cover as an invitation. Sticks are available at the foothill, and simply carrying one is usually deterrent enough.
Devotees have long believed that worship at the Yoga Anjaneyar shrine brings relief to those suffering mental distress, and many take a dip in the temple theertham first. That is a matter of faith and tradition. It is not a substitute for medical or psychiatric treatment, and nobody should stop prescribed care on the strength of a ritual.
Before You Go
Sholingur rewards planning far more than it rewards spending. Darshan is free at both hills, sevas are counter-issued, and the only reservation that genuinely helps is your own early start. Aim for a weekday morning if you want space. Choose a Sunday instead if the Anjaneyar thirumanjanam is your reason for coming.
Above all, verify Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings on the official page the week you travel, because published hours drift and festival days override them entirely.
Our guide to the Nanganallur Anjaneyar Temple in Chennai pairs naturally with a wider Hanuman circuit. If ropeway access is your main concern, the Purnagiri temple ropeway guide explains how hill ropeways are usually ticketed. For a Tamil Nadu seva comparison, see the Marudhamalai golden chariot seva.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings?
The Chinna Malai shrine of Sri Yoga Anjaneyar generally stays open from about 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Start the climb well before closing, since the gate at the foot of the steps can shut earlier. Sunday morning carries the weekly thirumanjanam at about 9:00 AM.
Do Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings change on festival days?
Yes, festival days override the usual hours on both hills. Brahmotsavam, Karthigai and Narasimha Jayanthi bring extended rituals and heavy crowds. Check the official temple page a few days ahead, because the schedule shifts each year with the Tamil calendar.
How many steps lead to the Anjaneyar shrine?
The small hill needs about 406 steps to reach Yoga Anjaneyar. The big hill takes about 1,305 steps to reach Sri Yoga Narasimhar, rising roughly 750 feet. Although the Anjaneyar climb is shorter, it is noticeably steeper.
Is there a ropeway to the Anjaneyar hill?
No ropeway serves Chinna Malai. Every devotee climbs the steps to the Yoga Anjaneyar shrine, so plan for that if anyone in your group has mobility limits. Doli bearers can sometimes help, and you arrange that on the spot.
Is the rope car working on the big hill?
A rope car serves Periya Malai, but its running status and fare have changed over time. Reports range from ₹15 one way to about ₹100 for a round trip. Confirm both at the counter near the hill base, because tickets are never sold online.
Which day suits Sholingur Anjaneyar temple timings best?
Sunday holds the weekly thirumanjanam on the small hill, so devotion peaks then. That also makes Sunday the most crowded day for Anjaneyar. Choose a weekday morning when you want a calmer darshan.
Can I book Sholingur darshan tickets online?
No, because general darshan carries no ticket at all. Both hill shrines admit devotees free through a common queue, so advance booking has nothing to reserve. Only certain sevas may be payable through the official HR&CE channel.
How far is Sholingur from Chennai?
Sholinghur lies about 110 km from Chennai, which usually takes two to three hours by road. Arakkonam Junction, about 30 km away, is the practical railhead. Local buses and share autos cover the last stretch.
Is there a dress code at the Sholingur hill temples?
The temple enforces no strict dress code, though modest traditional clothing is expected. Cover shoulders and knees as a mark of respect. Also choose footwear you can leave at the foothill, because you climb barefoot.
