[5] The name Namakkal derives from Namagiri, which is the name of the single rock formation at the centre of the town dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

[6] Historian Soundara Rajan places the date to a pre-Varagunan I (800–830 CE) era on the 8th century.

[8] Most of the historians have compared the temples with similar architectural elements found in Badami Caves (6th century) and a possible influence.

Another inscription mentions it as Adiyendra Vishnu Grham which evidently shows that the cave was excavated by the Satyaputra Kings, the recently discovered inscription not only confirms this but also mentions the king's name as Gunasila (Dated 500 CE).

[citation needed] Namakkal is a part of Kongu Nadu which was hotly contested and coveted by both the ancient Pallavas and the Pandyas.

After the struggle between the Cheras, Cholas and Pandiyan, the Hoysalas rose to power and had control till the 14th century followed by the Vijayanagara Kings until 1565 AD.

Two of the polygons of Thirumalai Nayak, namely, Ramachandra Nayaka and Gatti Mudaliars, ruled the Salem area.

For a brief period during late 18th and early 19th century Namakkal was under Tiruchirappalli district of British Rule.

[citation needed] According to 2011 census, Namakkal had a population of 55,145 with a sex-ratio of 1,015 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.

There is no roof over the sanctum and Anjaneyar has a unique iconography sporting a sword in his waist and holding a garland made of saligrama.

Namagiri Lakshmi Narasimhaswami Temple of Lord Vishnu has the form of Sri Narasimha Swami.

Annual car festival for the Lord Narasimmaswamy temple is celebrated in March and April every year (Tamil Month "Panguni") as per "Sri Vaikhanasa Ahamam".

[15] The fort is located on the top of a hillock made of a single rock, 75 m (246 ft) tall.

In modern times, the fort is under the control of the Archaeological Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

[16][17] Buses ply to cities in Tamil Nadu like Salem, Erode, Trichy, Karur, Coimbatore, Chennai, Madurai and Dindigul.

[19] There are trains daily from/to Salem, Karur, Chennai Central, Bangalore, Dindigul, Palani, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Pollachi and Palakkad.

The Kolli Hills, an outlier of the Eastern Ghats, constitute a prominent mountain range 45 kilometres (28 mi) away from Namakkal.

It is much celebrated in the Tamil Literature of the Sangam Age and at least eleven poets describe about it in their poems.