Any info about Kollegal and Tiruvannamalai? India

Hi there,

I’m thinking of heading to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in early 2026.

Two places I’m curious about: Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu) and Kollegal (Karnataka).

For Tiruvannamalai, I’ve already found quite a bit of info on this forum, but the most recent posts are from 2018. Has anyone been there more recently? My plan is to stay for about a week, book a guesthouse, visit the big Shiva temple, Ramana Maharshi’s ashram, and the caves in the mountain. Any other spots in this town you’d recommend? Would you happen to know a nice guesthouse (preferably around 1500 rupees, doesn’t need to be near the ashram)?

As for Kollegal, I’m not finding much info. And I’m stuck on this permit issue for staying in the town. Can anyone fill me in?

Thanks for your help!

Hey there! I might not be able to answer any of your questions, but out of curiosity, what’s so special about Kollegal that you need a permit to go there?

Hi Pagaljavab,

About this permit, I’m referring to this discussion from 2009—it’s old, but I don’t have anything more recent.

https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=1627118;search_string=Kollegal

Ah, okay, it's because there's a Tibetan refugee camp there, and the authorities don't want it to be too visited by tourists, from what I understand.

I’ll keep looking into it. If I find THE answer, I’ll share it here. ;)