[citation needed] Sage Kapila is said to have been reborn as a cow for his sin of having improperly worshiped a Shiva lingam using his left hand.

One of the Bhakts approached Maha Periyava Sri Chandra Sekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal and sought His blessings for his new built home at Selaiyur.

Maha Periyava blessed him, and told him that there is an old Siva temple lying in ruins at a nearby village called Madambakkam.

The main sanctum (Sanskrit: garbha griha), like some other Chola temples in and around Chennai, is apsidal in shape (Sanskrit: gajaprishta vimana) (also described as shaped like the back of a sleeping elephant), unlike most Hindu shrines, which are square or rectangular.

[1] The temple is one of a number of sites that have been conserved and restored under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India.

[3] A number of religious festivals are celebrated at the temple, including Pradosha, Panguni Uttiram and during Navarathri, devotees visit to offer special pujas.