the temple is more known for the shrine of palaniandavar, which is found near the entrance of the temple. arumugha tambiran was an ardent devotee of muruga. he used to travel to palani carrying a kavadi and returned to thiruthangal the same day. as years rolled by, thambiran found it difficult to travel all the way to palani. he used to ascend a few steps and then return. while cooking food one day, god murugan showered gold coins in his route. he took up the gold coins and built the shrine of palani andavar. the place where he breathed his last is marked by a mutt and his articles are still maintained.