 It is believed that once Vishnu came out of the river Krithimala as a fish (Matsya avatar, one of the avatars of Vishnu) to teach "Vedas" to the ruler.From then on, the Pandyas started having fish as the symbol of the kingdom.The temple follows the traditions of the Thenkalai sect of Vaishnavite tradition and follows "Vaikasana aagama".