Poovananathar Temple, Tirupuvanam

Temple Information
Location of the temple	Tirupuvanam
Deity Shiva known as	Poovananathar, Mangalanathar, Pithru Muktheeswarar
Female deity known as	Mangalaambikai
Pathigam	Sambandar
How to reach	Located about 20 Kms to the southeast of Madurai, this temple is well connected by road and rail services from Madurai. On the Madurai - Manamadurai section of Southern Railway, Trains halt at Tirupuvanam Station. Regualar bus services are available from Madurai to Thiruppuvanam.
Temple address	Arulmighu Poovananathar Temple Tirupuvanam Tirupuvanam Post Manamadurai Taluk Sivagangai District PIN 623611

Route Map from Madurai to Tirupoovanam
Map courtesy by: Google aps

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 distinguished as the sole location among the 14 'Paadal Petra Shivasthalam' in Pandya naadu to have hymns composed by all three revered saints - Appar, Sambandar, and Sundarar. Additionally, this temple holds significance as it was revered by the three kings of the Tamil Kingdomes during that period - Chera, Chola, and Pandya. Notably, 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. As he gazed upon the riverbed, he was struck by the sight of all the sand resembling Shivalinga in his eyes, making it a sacred ground. In order to show respect to the sand that resembled Shivalinga, Tirugyanasambandhar chose not to step on it and instead decided to stay on the shore. It was there that he began to sing a hymn dedicated to Pushpavaneshwarar at Tirupoovanam, seeking divine blessings for his journey. For Tirugyanasambhandar to see God Shiva from where he stood, Nandi obstructed his view. Pushpavneshwarar then instructed Nandi to lean slightly to the left so that Sambandhar could have a clear line of vision. Following the instructions, Nandi humbly complied by leaning to the left and bowing her head and body, allowing Tirugyanasambandhar to finally have a clear view of Shiva. Even to this day, visitors can witness the depiction of Nandi leaning slightly to the left. The area on the other bank of the Vaigai river, where the trio of saints chanted the Devaram and offered prayers, is now known as Moovar Mandapam, a place of great spiritual significance visited by numerous devotees.

The temple is adorned with a 5-tiered Rajagopuram, facing east. Adjacent to this main temple structure lies the the shrine of the female deity, Soundaranayaki, which is characterized by a smaller tower of its own. Upon entering through the gateway, visitors are greeted by a series of enclosures lined up in succession. These include the Gambathadi Mandap, Nalamaharaj Mandap, Tiruvacchi Mandap, and a Six-Pillared Mandap. Adjacent to the Six-pillared hall stands the Mahamandap, followed by the sanctum sanctorum located within another enclosure known as Arthamandap. The presiding deity, Pushpavaneshwarar, is manifested in the form of a Lingam, adorned with a trident and a crown of matted hair. Inside the sanctum, behind the deity, one can find oil lamps made of clay, including the 'Nakshathra Deepam' and 27 other lamps known as 'Tiruvachi deepam'. These lamps, also referred to as 'Moksha Deepam', are lit to guide the deceased towards salvation. The shrine of Goddess Soundaranayake is situated in a separate enclosure within the temple premises, both of which are encompassed by the same boundary wall and connected by corridors. This architectural layout enhances the spiritual experience for devotees visiting the temple. A jackfruit tree, is associated as the temple's sacred tree. The associated sacred water bodies are Manikarnika, Vaigai, Vasishta and Indra Theertam. There are shrines dedicated to Bhaskara Vinayaka, Subramanya, Surya, Sayanaperumal, Nalvar, 63 Nayanmars, Saptha Matha, Mahalakshmi, Dakshinamurthy, Chandra and Navagrahas located within the inner corridor. The stone idol of Nataraja is magnificent and is artfully crafted. Sage Vyagrapadha and Pathanjali can be seen on either side of Nataraja. This temple received the royal patronage of the Pandiya kings and later on by Nayaks who ruled Madurai.

Tirupuvanam is associated with an episode narrated in the Thiruvilayadal Puranam. This episode narrates the life of Ponnanaiyal, an ardent devotee of Poovananathar, who lived in Tirupoovanam. She used to take her bath in the river Vaigai everyday in the morning and offered a garland to Poovananathar and danced before Him daily. She desired to carve out an idol of God Shiva in Gold. God Shiva, pleased with her devotion to Him, appeared before her in disguise as a Siddha and told her that He could convert any piece of metal into gold. Ponnanaiyal handed over to Him all the vessels she had in the house. The Siddha, who was God Shiva in disguise, sprinkled sacred ash on the vessels and told Ponnanaiyal that they would turn into gold the next day. When Ponnanaiyal found the gold next day morning, she gave the gold to a goldsmith and made an idol of Lord Poovananathar in gold as she had always desired. The idol was so beautiful and thrilled by the beauty of it, Ponnanaiyal pinched the deity's cheek leaving a permanent mark there. This idol of somaskandar alias Azhagiya Nayagar bears the pinch mark on His cheek even now.