SAINT APPAR’S KAILAYA DARSHAN
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In the next panel, Appar is shown carrying a big bowl like thing in his raised hands, and to his right God and Goddess are standing. It seems like he received the Pothigai from God. The God and Goddess are in the same posture as seen in the previous panel. Periyapuranam illustrate that ‘God carries a pond of pure water’ and later He disappeared and commanded through voice to immerse Appar in the pond and behold Kailaya scene at Thiruvaiyaru. The event of handing over the pond is not illustrated in the Periapuranam.
In the next panel Saint Appar is shown at his bust level in anjali hasta with his uzhavaram resting on the left side. The circular marking behind him denotes the pond and it seems that the saint is inside the pond. As per the purana, there are two stages in pond, the pond that he immersed in the snowy mountain and the pond that he rose up at Thiruvaiyaru. However, next to the pond the God and Goddess are shown in broad welcoming smile, accordingly, it can be taken as the pond at Thiruvaiyaru where the Lord joyously concorporate with His consort Uma and abides. Sekkizhar hymned in the Thiruthondarpuranam as
‘மாது ஒரு பாகனார் மகிழும் ஐயாற்றில் ஓர் வாவி மீது தோன்றி வந்து எழுந்தனர் உலகு எலாம் வியப்ப’ 371.
Here also both the God and Goddess are in same attire, posture as seen in the previous panels. In the same panel next to the deities, again Appar is shown in anjali hasta with his spade and next to him a shrine is seen. The shrine can be taken as the Iyyarappar temple, after beholding the vision of Siva and Uma, he was proceeding towards the Iyyarappar temple and on the way he beheld all the species of life both movable and immovable accompanied with its mates, reflecting the principle of duo, Siva and Sakthi. He hymned the ‘Matharpirai kanniyanai’ his visional experience for the deliverance of the world.
Saint Sekkizhar narrated this in his Thiruthondarpuranam as
மிடையும் நீள் கொடி வீதிகள் விளங்கிய ஐயாறு உடைய நாயகர் சேவடி பணிய வந்து உறுவார் அடைய அப்பதி நிற்பவும் சாpப்பவும் ஆன புடை அமர்ந்துதம் துணையொடும் பொலிவன கண்டார் 373 பெரியபுராணம்