Boy · Sanskrit (Tamil usage) · Tamil
Arunachalam
அருணாசலம்Say it uh-roo-NAA-chuh-lum
- Meaning today
- Red mountain, sacred hill of Shiva
- Original meaning
- "Arunachala, the sacred hill of Tiruvannamalai; Sanskrit aruṇa + acala" Tamil Lexicon, p. 132
- Say it
- uh-roo-NAA-chuh-lum
- Written
- அருணாசலம்
- Other spellings
- Arunasalam, Arunachalum
Arunachalam
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Arunachalam meaning
Arunachalam (அருணாசலம்) is a Tamil boy's name of Sanskrit origin (Tamil usage).
Arunachala, the sacred hill of Tiruvannamalai; Sanskrit aruṇa + acala
Also used to mean: red mountain, sacred hill of Shiva
Arunachalam (அருணாசலம்) is the Tamil form of Aruṇācala, the sacred hill at Tiruvannamalai where Shiva is worshipped as a column of fire. The Tamil Lexicon defines the word simply as Tiruvaṇṇāmalai and traces it to Sanskrit aruṇa and acala. Monier-Williams gives aruṇa as reddish or tawny, the colour of dawn, and acala as immovable, hence a mountain. So the name means "the red, unmoving mountain". The hill drew the sage Ramana Maharshi, and the name is used by Tamil Shaiva families. Bearers include Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam of Ceylon and the sanitary-pad innovator Arunachalam Muruganantham.
Source: Tamil Lexicon, University of Madras (1924–36), p. 132 · entry aruṇācalam (அருணாசலம்) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Tamil Lexicon, aruṇācalam, p. 132 · Monier-Williams, aruṇa, p. 88 · Monier-Williams, a-cala, p. 8 · Wikipedia, Arunachala
Famous namesakes
- Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam, Ceylon civil servant and political leader
- Arunachalam Muruganantham, inventor of low-cost sanitary pad machines
How the name is built
- Aruna अरुण: reddish-brown, ruddy, the colour of morning
Monier-Williams 88 - Achala अचल: immovable; a mountain, a rock
Monier-Williams 8
Spellings
Arunachalam · Arunasalam · Arunachalum