This temple is considered as one of the ancient places where people come in great numbers to find a cure for their diseases through prayers and meditation. The primary male deity presiding is Lord Shiva known as Marundeeshwarar (Lord of Medicines). He has manifested himself in the form of Swayambhu Lingam. According to the legend, Lord Shiva is said to have provided relief from health problems to the great sage Agasthya, the Sun God and the Moon God.The Legend about this TempleSage Valmiki, the author of Ramayana, was cured of a sickness in this very temple. All the year run, you will come across many people coming to this temple to pray and light the lamps underneath a tree near this temple. This is the place where Lord Shiva gave darshan to many saints. This place is very well maintained as the first lingam appeared by itself in the form of a swayambhu. This primary deity, the Marundeeshwarar Lingam was formed naturally and it was not sculpted.There is a large tank just outside of the premises of the temple. The sub-deities that are revered here are Lord Ganesh and Lord Subramanya. As a result, the temple has been able to attract people by the hordes to Tiruvanmiyur and is extremely crowded on all days of the year.Lord Marundeeshwarar (Shiva) is famous for teaching sage Agasthya about the curative properties of several plants and herbs. This is the reason why this temple has remained a popular place for worship among people who have numerous health problems and also for those people who are suffering from dangerous diseases.Lord Hanuman has also performed pooja for the lingam in this temple. In addition, the Meenakshi Sundareshwarar lingam is also kept in this temple; it had cured Lord Indra's curse. Today, there are one hundred and eight lingams in the Mahamandapam. Among them, there are replicas of the famous five lingams representing the five elements of nature. Kamadhenu, the divine cow, is believed to be delivering milk to the principal lingam every day and that is the reason why it has remained white.One of the Paadal Petra SthalamsThis Marundeeshwarar Shiva Temple at Tiruvanmiyur is one of the two hundred and seventy five Paadal Petra Sthalams. Three of the highly revered Nayanars or Shivaite Saints � Appar, Sambandar and Tirugnana have made this temple a special place in their verses during the eighth century. The temple was expanded by the Chola Kings during their reign in the eleventh century. The temple is currently managed by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.It has a couple of seven-tiered towers or gateways within the overall area that stretches to over one acre. The Marundeeshwarar Temple has, since ancient times, been the place where worship has been famous as a curative medium for obtaining relief from various diseases.