Significance - This temple at Tirupuvanam is situated on the southern bank of river Vaigai. This temple is considered as holy as Varanasi (Benares) as the river Vaigai takes a turn towards the north here and then flows towards east. Tirupupuvanam is the only temple among the 14 'Paadal Petra Shivasthalam' in Pandya naadu to have pathikam composed by Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar and it was revered by all three Chera, Chola and Pandya kings. Among the 64 'Thiruvilayadal' enacted by God Somasundara of Madurai, Tirupupuvanam stands out as the site where He performed a miraculous act as a Siddha, bestowing gold upon a lady called Ponnaiyal residing in Thirupuvanam.
When Tirugyanasambandhar came here, he had to cross the river 'Vaigai' to reach the temple. To his eyes, the sands along the riverbed resembled a ShivaLingam. Tirugyanasambandhar chose not to step on it and instead decided to stay on the shore. He sang a pathikam on Pushpavaneshwarar at Tirupoovanam from where he stood. but he could not see the deity as Nandi obstructed his view. Lord Shiva instructed Nandi to lean slightly to the left so that Sambandhar could have a clear line of vision. Nandi humbly complied by leaning to the left and bowing her head and body, allowing Tirugyanasambandhar to have a clear view. Even to this day, The Nandhi is seen leaning slightly to the left and the place from where the three Nayanmars sang the pathikam, is now known as 'Moovar' Mandapam, located across the river.
The temple features an east-facing 5-tiered Rajagopuram. As we enter the prakaram through the gateway we see a line up of enclosures - Kambathadi Mandapam, Nalamaharaj Mandapam, Tiruvacchi Mandapam and a Mandapam supported by six pillars. Next to the six-pillared hall is the Mahamandapaam followed by the sacntum enclosed within the ArthaMandapam. The presiding deity Pushpavaneshwarar is a 'Swayambhoo Linga' with crown of matted hair and a trident. Behind the Lingam of the presiding deity, there are clay lamps called "Moksha Deepam' which are lit to guide the traversing souls.
Soundaranayaki, the female deity is in a separate sannidhi within the temple. Both the sannidhi of the presiding deity and female deity have prakaram around them for doing 'pradakshina'. 'Sthla vruksham' is jackfruit tree and the associated sacred water bodies are Manikarnika, Vaigai, Vasishta and Indra Theertam. The inner prakaram houses sannidhis for Bhaskara Vinayaka, Subramanya, Surya the planetory god for sun, Sayanaperumal, the four nayanmars, 63 Nayanmars, Saptha Matha, Mahalakshmi, Dakshinamurthy, Chandra the planetory god for moon and for the Navagrahas. We can also see a magnificent Nataraja whose idol is artfully crafted. Sage Vyagrapadha and Pathanjali can be seen on either side of Nataraja. Pandiya kings and the later rulers of madurai, the Nayaks patronised this temple.
Tiruvilayadal Puranam - Ponnanaiyal, a fervent follower of Poovananathar, resided in Tirupoovanam. Each day, she would bathe in vaigi, offer a garland, and dance for Poovananathar. She longed to create a golden idol for Shiva. One day, a 'Sidhdhar' visited her and claimed he could transform any metal into gold. Ponnanaiyal eagerly handed over all the metal objects in her possession. The alchemist, who was actually Lord Shiva in disguise, sprinkled sacred ash on the vessels and assured Ponnanaiyal they would turn into gold the following day. The next day, Ponnanaiyal collected the transformed golden objects and gave them to a goldsmith to create an idol of Poovananathar. The resulting golden idol was so exquisite that Ponnanaiyal pinched the deity's cheek, leaving a permanent mark. This idol of somaskandar, also known as Azhagiya Nayagar, still bears the pinch mark on His cheek to this day.
View of the temple
Another View
5 Tiered Tower
A leaning Nandi
Pooanayal
Twin Vinayaka
Muruga with his consorts
Ponnanaiyal pinching God's cheek - statue inside the temple
Dakshinamurthy