[not verified in body] Medieval Tamil sources, compiled in Mattakkalappu Purva Sarithiram, claim that Megavarnan, the son of Chola princess Thampathi nallāḷ and Kalinga prince Puvaṉēka kayavāku, renovated the Thirukkovil Temple and constructed a memorial tank in the name of his mother, Tampativil (lit.

Thambiluvil village covers an area of 5.2 square kilometres (2 sq mi), and has a population of 8,937 inhabitants, including 2,686 families.

According to oral history, Thambiluvil, Thirukkovil, and their suburbs were primitive settlements of the Nāga people, tribes of old Ceylon referred to as "Nagarmunai".

[citation needed] Thambiluvil was once known for practicing Nattu Koothu and Vasanthan (a kind of Kummi), which are traditional dances of the Batticaloa Tamils.

[citation needed] The anthropological and sociological significance of Thambiluvil, especially to Sri Lankan Tamils, has been described in the research of anthropologists including Nur Yalman,[9] Dennis B. McGilvray,[10] and Lester Hiatt.