In Alagar hills lord "Thirumal” is located in the name of “Alagar” and so it is called Alagar hills. This Vaishnavite temple has the unique reputation of the lord’s revelation to the Pandya king Malayathuaja Pandian and Dharma Devashai. The episodes of Alvars have added to the honour of the temple. One hundred and twenty three vaisnavite hymns describe the glory of the temple. Even in the epic Silappathikaram of the classical epic age, the greatness of the temple is beautifully described.
No less than Six Alvars, namely, Perialvar,Thirumangaiyalvar, Boothathalvar, Andal, Peyalvar, Nammalvar, have Sung the glory of the shrine. The golden canopy to the dome of temple was done in the 13th Century A.D. by the devoted king Sundara Pandian. Many such sacred dedicatory pieces of artistic additions were added by the king Thirumalai Naickar. A holy spring known as Noopurangangai is perennially sprouting up at the top of the hillock.
Several religious literary works offer valuable information on this temple. The Hill was once a safe refuge for the Jain monks in I.B.C. Paranjothi, the saivaite poet describes the event when a Jain monk sent a magical cow which was over-powered by Siva’s “Nanthi”. The cow which lost its power fell down and turned into a hillock and Siva’s ‘Nandhi’ also turned into a small mountain on the left side of this cow-like hillock. The presence of ‘Brahmin” script carved on stones inside some of the caves in these hills prove the presence of Jains in this area.
