Thiruvaiyaru is known as Dakshina Kailasam (Southern Kailash)

Thirumurai 6.97

7. அலைத்தோடு புனற்கங்கை சடையிற் கண்டேன்
    அலர்கொன்றைத் தாரணிந்த வாறு கண்டேன்
பலிக்கோடித் திரிவார்கைப் பாம்பு கண்டேன்
    பழனம் புகுவாரைப் பகலே கண்டேன்
கலிக்கச்சி மேற்றளியே யிருக்கக் கண்டேன்
    கறைமிடறுங் கண்டேன் கனலுங் கண்டேன்
வலித்துடுத்த மான்தோல் அரையிற் கண்டேன்
    மறைவல்ல மாதவனைக் கண்ட வாறே.

I beheld the rushing,
billowy Ganga in His matted hair;
I beheld Him decked with a garland of blown konrai;
I beheld a snake in His hand as He rushed forth seeking alms;
I beld Him during the day as He entered Pazhanam;
I beheld Him enshrined at noisy Kacchi Metrali;
I beheld His dark throat and also the fire;
I beheld on His waist The tightly-worn deer-skin;
it is thus,
even thus,
that I beheld The great tapaswi of the Vedas.
(Was it even so that you beheld Him?)

Thirumurai 6.55

1. வேற்றாகி விண்ணாகி நின்றாய் போற்றி
    மீளாமே ஆளென்னைக் கொண்டாய் போற்றி
ஊற்றாகி உள்ளே ஒளித்தாய் போற்றி
    ஓவாத சத்தத் தொலியே போற்றி
ஆற்றாகி அங்கே அமர்ந்தாய் போற்றி
    ஆறங்கம் நால்வேத மானாய் போற்றி
காற்றாகி யெங்குங் கலந்தாய் போற்றி
    கயிலை மலையானே போற்றி போற்றி.

You stand as ether and other elements,
praise be!
You have me as Your servitor not to be manumitted,
praise be!
You lie concealed within as the spring,
praise be!
You are the sound of continuous sonance,
praise be!
As energy You abide there,
praise be!
You became The six Angas and the four Vedas,
praise be!
As wind,
You pervade everywhere,
praise be!
O Lord of Mount Kailas,
praise be!
praise be!
O Siva! You are the five elements! You have me as your permanent slave. You hid yourself inside as the source of all joy. You are the eternal sound! You are the power in the five elements. You are the four vedas and the six angas. You pervade everywhere as the wind. O Lord of Kailasa mountain! I praise you again and again.

திருவையாறு

Temple Speciality

Lord Shiva in the temple is a swayambumurthy. If one calls the name Aiyarappa loudly from a particular spot in the temple, it echoes seven times. Circumambulating the temple prakaras is a usual tradition but this is prohibited in this temple.

It is note worthy that devout Saivite Saint Appar – Tirunavukkarasar worshipped here and had the Mount Kailash darshan from here.  He had his holy bath in the Manasa Sarovar at Kailash and returned from the Tiruvaiyaru tank.  This Surya Pushkarini Theertha is all sacred.

Prohibition to circumambulate the shrine: 

Lord Shiva in the temple is a swayambumurthy.  It is believed that His long and thick turf is spread throughout the place behind the shrine.  As a devotee cannot afford to tread on the Jatamudi of Lord, circumambulation is prohibited.

Lord Dakshinamurthi in the prakara has a special significance.  Lord Vishnu had worshipped Him.  He is only Guru in Tamilnadu worshipped by Perumal-Vishnu.  He is praised a as Soouru Hari Shivayoga Dakshinamurthy.  In the place of Muyalagan – symbol of ignorance – we usually see under His feet, there is a tortoise. The architectural skill of the temple is such that multiple echoes could be heard if one loudly calls Aiyarappa standing at a particular place.  Foreign engineers had tried to find out this miracle but could not till this day.

Of the Navagraha importance, the place belongs to Sun.  He is facing west.  The temple has five corridors-prakaras.  Devotees choose the prayer hall (Mukthi Mandap) for mental piece.

Mother Dharma Samvardhini is praised as Lord Mahavishnu in this place.  Hence, there are no Vishnu temples around this place.

Thirumurai 6.38

7. எல்லா உலகமு மானாய் நீயே
    ஏகம்ப மேவி யிருந்தாய் நீயே
நல்லாரை நன்மை யறிவாய் நீயே
    ஞானச் சுடர்விளக்காய் நின்றாய் நீயே
பொல்லா வினைக ளறுப்பாய் நீயே
    புகழ்ச்சே வடியென்மேல் வைத்தாய் நீயே
செல்வாய செல்வந் தருவாய் நீயே
    திருவையா றகலாத செம்பொற் சோதீ.

It is You indeed who became all the worlds;
It is You who preside over Yekampam;
You,
in sooth,
know the worth of the goodly ones;
You glow as the bright Lamp of Gnosis;
You will Annul all evil Karma;
You placed Your glorious foot on me;
You only are the conferrer of true wealth;
You are the ruddy and auric Flame That parts not from Tiruvaiyaaru.

திருப்பூவணம்

Temple Information 

The place is also known by other names as Pushpavanakasi, Pithurmokshapuram, Bhaskarapuram, Lakshmipuram, Brahmmapuram and Rasavadhapuram.  Lord Pushpavaneswarar with His consort Soundaryanayaki had played many miracles. As this is a place with fragrant gardens, it is called Poovanam.  Lord Pushpavaneswarar blesses his devotees relieving them of all hardships.  The place is considered very sacred as this qualifies the three important standards of Murthy, Sthala and Theertha according to our scriptures.

Greatness of Temple

During the Puranic Age, one Darma Yagnan was carrying his father’s ashes – asthi to Rameswaram from Kasi-now Varanasi.  He stayed in this place for a while for rest.  His friend accompanying him opened the pot containing the asthi but was surprised to find flowers in the pot and not asthi.  But he did not reveal the truth to his friend.  Reaching Rameswaram, while opening the pot, they found only asthi and not the flower.  Now, the friend told Darmayagna what he found earlier.  They returned back with the pot to Tirupuvanam and found the flower when they opened the pot.

As what was simply asthi-ash in Kasi turned into a flower in Tirupuvanam, the place is considered 16 times holier than Kasi.  The proverb here goes “it is a veesam more than Kasi” claiming greater reputation than Kasi.   Those unable to go to Kasi to immerse the ashes of the departed ones in River Ganga do it here in Vaigai River and light the Moksha Deepa.

When saint Tirugnanasambandar visited this place, he saw Shivalingas in every particle of river sand and could not walk on the banks to reach the other side of the river.  He prayed to the Lord singing His praise from where he was.  Nandhi, the bull vehicle of Lord Shiva was hiding the Lord from Gnanasambandar.  Lord Shiva asked the Nandhi to move by the side to grant His darshan to the saint.  We see Nandhi in the temple a little away on the side representing this event.

The entrance of the temple is with a five tier tower-Gopura.  Lord Shiva graces with a Rudraksha body.  Shivalinga in the temple has a trident symbol.  Mother Soundaryanayaki graces from the right of the Lord.   There are five theerthas in the temple of which Manikarnikai is distinct from others.  Sage Agasthya was able to consume the whole sea water as he consumed Manikarnika theertha first.  This the place where king Nala, Brahmma, Vishnu, Sage Gautama, Sun, Sri Mahalakshmi, Sage Agasthya, Goraka Siddha worshipped Lord Shiva, according to scriptures. 

Temple History 

There lived in Tirupuvanam a dancer woman Ponnaiyal by name.  As a staunch devotee, she spent all her earnings from the dancing programmes in feeding Shiva devotees.  She had a desire to sculpt Lord Poovananathar in pure gold.  To fulfill her desire, Lord came in the guise of a siddha and advised her to melt all the brass, lead and copper articles in the house at night which will turn into gold.  The dancer followed the advice of the Siddha and her joy knew no bounds to see adequate gold to make the idol of the Lord.  With the gold she got through the alchemy miracle, the dancer made out a beautiful idol of the Lord and in her ecstasy, she embraced the idol and kissed it on the cheek.  The nail symbol of Ponnaiyal is visible on the procession deity.

Miracle

ord Shiva is a swayambumurthi in the temple. This is holy place where Lord Shiva played his miracle play – Tiruvilayadal – Alchemy-Rasavada play. 

Thirumurai 6.18

1. வடியேறு திரிசூலந் தோன்றுந் தோன்றும்
    வளர்சடைமேல் இளமதியந் தோன்றுந் தோன்றும்
கடியேறு கமழ்கொன்றைக் கண்ணி தோன்றுங்
    காதில்வெண் குழைதோடு கலந்து தோன்றும்
இடியேறு களிற்றுரிவைப் போர்வை தோன்றும்
    எழில்திகழுந் திருமுடியு மிலங்கித் தோன்றும்
பொடியேறு திருமேனி பொலிந்து தோன்றும்
    பொழில்திகழும் பூவணத்தெம் புனித னார்க்கே.

Behold His sharp trident!
Behold the young moon On His well-grown matted hair!
Behold the fresh-blown and fragrant konrai-chaplet!
Behold the white kuzhai and the todu in His ears on either side!
Behold the shroud of the hide of the tusker That did trumpet like thunder!
Behold the comely crown dazzling bright!
Behold His body radiant with ash!
Thus is He,
even thus is He-- our Lord Of Poovanam which is girt with gardens.

Thirumurai 6.95

8. அத்தாவுன் அடியேனை அன்பா லார்த்தாய்
    அருள்நோக்கில் தீர்த்தநீ ராட்டிக் கொண்டாய்
எத்தனையும் அரியைநீ எளியை யானாய்
    எனையாண்டு கொண்டிரங்கி யேன்று கொண்டாய்
பித்தனேன் பேதையேன் பேயேன் நாயேன்
    பிழைத்தனகள் அத்தனையும் பொறுத்தா யன்றே
இத்தனையும் எம்பரமோ ஐய ஐயோ
    எம்பெருமான் திருக்கருணை யிருந்த வாறே.

O Father,
by sheer love you drew me,
Your slave,
to You And bathed me in the flood of Your beign look;
You,
the infinitely rare,
became easy of access to me;
Pitying me,
You claimed and blessed and accepted me;
Did You not forgive all my trespasses-- those Of a mad man,
a fool,
a ghoul and a dog?
Is all this for my sake?
Alas,
alas!
Behold the blessed grace of Him--my Lord!

Thirumurai 12.21

195. நன்மைபெரு கருள்நெறியே
   வந்தணைந்து நல்லூரின்
மன்னுதிருத் தொண்டனார்
   வணங்கிமகிழ்ந் தெழும்பொழுதில்
உன்னுடைய நினைப்பதனை
   முடிக்கின்றோம் என்றவர்தம்
சென்னிமிசைப் பாதமலர்
   சூட்டினான் சிவபெருமான்.

When the sempiternal servitor supernal, treading
The way of grace of ever-increasing goodliness
Arrived there, he bowed before the Lord; as he rose up,
Saying; “We fructify your cherished desire”
Lord-Siva touched his head with His flower-feet.