The area of Nedungadu got its name from Nedunthuyar Theertha Nayaki, the consort of Tantondreeswara.

The sanctum enshrines the tall idol of Shivalinga which is the main deity, Tantondreeswara.

The idols of Nataraja, Sivagamasundari and Manikkavacakar belonging to the temple were stolen in 1959.

A volunteer-collective India Pride Project has traced the remaining idols to few museums/institutions in the Western world.

[4] Similar idol theft was reported from the Varatharaja Perumal temple in the nearby Melakasakudy, beyond the Nattar River, sometime between 1959 and 1962.