In 2006, nearly twenty-two years after leaving India, there were no plans to return, and no intention to acquire land or build a home. Yet, at the behest of Sri Balaraman, two acres of land were purchased in Nallavan Palayam, Tiruvannamalai, and registered in the name of Chellammal, Swamiji’s mother. What began without design quietly took root.

In the years that followed, a compound wall and simple structures were raised—offering a resting space for yatris and a small library. The land served as a place of pause and refuge, holding pilgrims in quiet service.

In December 2014, the space was formally inaugurated with Ganapathy Homam and Rudra Homam. With this sacred beginning, Tiruvannamalai Tirumoolar Ashram came into being.

By 2018, the ashram was registered as the Tiruvannamalai Tirumoolar Charitable Trust. What had begun as a resting place slowly revealed its deeper calling. In ways often unseen, and guided by the grace of Lord Parameshwara, the space transformed into a temple for Shiva and His family.

In February 2018, under divine inspiration, vigrahams of Nataraja and Sivakami, Alavay Sokkanaathar and Arulmiku Meenakshi, Ganapathy, and Skanda were installed. A dedicated team of Sivacharyas from Madurai, led by Sivacharya Sivananda Gurukkal, along with the Chief Priests of Arunachaleshwara Temple, performed the Kumbabishekam, consecrating the space with devotion and precision.

Once again, as it had before, the unseen guiding hand of Parameshwara led the way. Inspired to establish a central form of worship, a 13-foot Narmadeshwar Bana Lingam was brought from the Narmada Basin near Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh. Including the Avudaiyar, Adharapeetam, and support structure, the total height rose to 33 feet, sheltered within the Dhyana Mantapam.

The Avudaiyar was sculpted by Mayan sculptors of Mahabalipuram, and the entire Shivalingam was created and installed strictly according to Agama Shastras, consecrated as Aruna Banalingeshwara. Alongside it, 108 Banalingams, each representing a pada of the 27 Nakshatras, were installed—creating a sacred field of cosmic alignment.

The grand Kumbabishekam for Aruna Banalingeshwara was performed on November 15, 2021. This was followed by another Kumbabishekam for the 8-foot Banalingam, Karuna Banalingeshwara, further anchoring the space in compassion and grace.

What continues to stand today is not the result of planning, but of surrender—an ashram shaped by time, devotion, and the quiet guidance of Shiva Himself.