the great sri vaishnava guru swami vedanta desika reached here as a human incarnation of the lord's ghanta (bell) who would attain fulfilment in his penance carried out on the hill. when he was about 20 years old and had mastered all sastras, he came to this place, worshipped sri hayagriva at the hill, prayed garuda who appeared before him and initiated him in hayagriva upasana which helped desika attain religious knowledge to its greatest depths. swami desikan spent nearly 40 years of his illustrious life in this divya desam. to this day, the house in which he lived (desikan thirumaaligai) can be visited when one comes to thiruvahindrapuram.