Ayya Vaikuntar established five pathis (sacred temples) and a large number of Nizhal Thangals. These pathis are pilgrim centers for the followers of Ayya-Vazhi.
Swamithoppu-pathi is the head quarter of all the pathis where Ayya Vaikuntar spent most of His life. This is the sacred place where after His Vinchai, He was performing His tapas for six years before He started to reform the religion and society. The common well He dug is near this temple where devotees take bath or spray its holy water on their heads before entering the temple.
This is the place where Ayya Vaikuntar conducted the Thuvayal-Panthy to train the devotees to be strict vegetarians, to eat only once a day (raw rice and green gram), to wash clothes three time a day and lead a holy life. The sea near this place is called the milk-ocean and this is the sea where Lord Vaikuntar plunged in to meet Lord Vishnu before the arrest by the King. Every year special festivals are held where people from Swamithoppu march in great numbers to this sacred place.
This is the birth place of Arigopalan (Hari Gopalan) who was also called Sahadevan by Ayya Vaikuntar. Arigopalan helped Ayya to write Akilathirattu, the holy book for the devotees of Ayya Vaikuntar. Every year, devotees carried Ayya Vaikuntar from Swamithoppu to this place.
Ayya Vaikuntar once went to this place and stayed there for two years manifesting Himself as Lord Siva. He assumed the powers of Lord Siva and Goddess Bhagavathi. Later He also assumed the powers of Lord Karthikeya, Valli, Theivayanai and also Lord Brahma. Every year, car festivals are conducted and vahanas are used to carry Ayya Vaikuntar around.
Ayya vaikuntar spent His last six years in Swamithoppu living like a normal person and owned fields and grooves. He also maintained cattle. Bhoomadevi (known as Bhoo-madanthai) was born and living in a nearby place viz, Eathamozhi. Bhoo-madanthai was constantly chanting the praise of Ayya Vaikuntar and Ayya Vaikuntar married her. Later, devotees established a pathi at this place and called it Bhoo-pathi.
