the main deity lord shiva is said to be made with the "dharbha grass", from which the temple got its name of dharbaranyeshwarar temple. the temple also centers lord saniswaran or lord saturn as one of the main god. the shrine of thirunallar is famous for this lord. according to hinduism, lord saniswaran resides in each rasi or zodiac sign for about two and half years.the temple is revered by hymns of the shaiva poets like appar, sundarar and sambandar. therefore it is classified as paadal petra sthalam or the shrine which was revered by hymns of the poets.