Temple legend - When all the Devas, Bhutas and other living beings went to see the divine wedding of Shiva and Parvathy on Himalayas, the Earth became unbalanced. Lord Shiva asked sage Agastya to go south to balance the Earth. The Sage was hesitant to leave the place where everyone had gathered to witness the divine event. Knowing the sage's predicament, Shiva assured the sage that He and Parvati would appear before him as bride and bridegroom and the sage would be granted divine eyes to witness the marriage from whereever he was. When the sage arrived at the 'podhigai' hills, he bathed in waterfall nearby and proceeded to the temple. Since sage Agasthya was a follower of Shaivism, he was denied entry into the temple which was dedicated to MahaVishnu. Disheartened by the events, the sage went to 'Ilanji' and prayed to God Muruga. Lord Muruga advised Agasthya to disguise himself as a 'Vaishnav' to enter the temple, where he would then witness the marriage of Shiva and Parvathy.

See also:- Places visited by Sage Agasthya in his journey to south - 1) Tirukodunkundram, 2) Tirupanankattur, 3) Tirukallil, 4) Tiruvotriyur, 5) Tiruverkaadu, 6) Tiruvanmiyur, 7) Achirupakkam.

The disguised sage went into the temple as adviced and he saw MahaVishnu in the sanctum. The sage prayed to Shiva, closed his eyes and placed his hand on the idol of Mahavishnu. Miraculously, the idol shrank and became a Shiva Linga and during this transformative moment, Agasthiya saw the celestial wedding of Shiva and Parvathy which he missed because of his south-bound journey. The transformed Shiva Linga bears the impression of Agasthiyar's palm as he pressed and it is believed that just as Vishnu's idol became a linga, Sridevi was transformed into a Kuzhalvaimozhi Ammai and Bhudevi into Parashakti.