Arunagiri is a great devotee of Lord Muruga who lived in Tiruvannamalai. Unlike the other saints he is very traditional and devoted to god since he lived long back. The name and fame came to him because he showed Lord Subramanya to everybody directly.

Even he is devoted lord subramanya he spent his youth life by spending with lot of women. He was fully immersed into that life and he got leoprasy diesease. Then all the women hated him and he realised his sin. He was very much distressed that he wasted his life without realising the god. So he decided to sucide from a gopuram(gate) of the Temple. While doing so Lord Subramanya hold him with his hand and cured his diesease.

Arunagiri was very much happy and got enlighted. Lord subramanya instructed him to write a set of poems called 'Thirupugazh'  on his praise. Then arunagiri became a saint and started singing poems in praise of Lord Subramanya. He left all the lust towards women and devoted full time towards god.

He went to all temples of lord subramanya and sung poems. Then he left those places and returned to Tiruvannamalai. By seeing his saint-hood the king of Tiruvannamalai appointed him as official poet of the kingdom. But he was not interested even though he has not rejected this.

By seeing this, the chief minister in his kingdom got jealous about Arunagiri. He started giving false information about arunagiri to the king. He said that Arunagiri is not a real devotee of Lord Subramanya and fooling the people that he has seen Lord Murugan.

So the king arranged a public gathering and asked Arunagiri to show Lord Subramanya to others also. Arunagiri started singing songs towards Lord Muruga and soon after Lord Muruga appeared in a stone pillar in the form of child. He was so bright as equal to hundred of suns and the people were unable to see this with their ordinary eyes. Due to this everybody lost their eyes including the king and ministers.

The king apologized to Arunagiri and asked him to forgive. But still the minister want to take revenge on Arunagiri and told the king that since all the people had lost their eye-sight it can be brought back only through the 'Parijada' flower(It is a special kind of flower which is in heaven only). So the king requested Arunagiri to bring that flower from heaven since only he can do this.

Arunagiri decided to go to heaven and bring the flower. So he left the body and took a parrot's body and went. Meantime the Chief Minister known that he left the body and hided somewhere. So he searched the body and burnt it. When Arunagiri returned back he noticed that the body is no more.

But he was not disappointed since he knows the body is not the real thing. He went and sat in the form of parrot in the gopuram(gate). Today also it is called 'Kili gopuram'. Kili means parrot in Tamil language.