 As per accounts in the "Varaha Purana", a treatise of Varaha, an avatar of Vishnu, Varaha preferred to stay at this place with his consort Varahi in a small form and hence came to be known as Thirkurungudi (literally meaning a small house).As per a Hindu legend, Nambaduvan, a peasant and singer (locally called "panan") from lower section of the society, was an ardent devotee of Vishnu.On account of his low life, he never entered the temple and worshipped from outside.