Ramana Maharshi was born (Venkataraman Iyer) on December 30, 1879, and hails from the village of Tiruchuzhi near Aruppukkottai in the Virudhunagar District of Tamil Nadu, South India. As the second of four children in an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family, his father, Sundaram Iyer, traced his lineage to Parashara, while his mother was Azhagammal.

Belonging to the Smarta denomination, Venkataraman's family held regular worship sessions at home, venerating deities such as Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesha, Surya, and Shakti. 

At the age of seven, Venkataraman underwent his upanayana, the traditional initiation marking the introduction to Brahmanical learning and self-knowledge. Gifted with an excellent memory, he could effortlessly memorize Tamil poems after hearing them just once.