Legend has it that Lord Rama, his brother, Lakshman and Saptarishi prayed to the idol of the God that is found in this shrine. People are of the opinion that Jatayu, the vulture king, Ravana destroyed, was buried here, by Lord Rama and his brother, Lakshman. Ravana killed him because he was trying to prevent him from kidnapping Lord Rama's wife, Sita. At this shrine, one can see a pool of water, which is referred to as Jatayu Kundam. The planet mars, apparently was plagued by leprosy and it is believed that Vaidyanathaswamy was the one who cured it from the disease. After which, it is regarded as one among the navgraha shrines for the Angaraka planet. Lord Shiva's wife, Parvathy, requested Subramanya, her son, to manifest with a single face instead of his usual avatar in which he is seen to have six faces. After he listened to her, she rewarded him by giving him a vel, which he could utilize to assassinate a number of demons. Subramanya was able to win the battle against the demon by the name of Surapadman, but during the battle, a number of soldiers in his military were severely wounded. Lord Shiva was the one who acted as a healer and helped to heal all the wounds of the soldiers.