Legend of the Eleven Shrines
Once, when Goddess Parvathi was born as Dakshayini, daughter of Daksha, her father performed a yagna without inviting her or Lord Shiva. When Dakshayini went to warn her father of the consequences, Daksha remained unmoved and insulted her; enraged, she destroyed the yagna, cursed her father, and returned to Lord Shiva. Reluctant at first to accept her, Shiva grew furious and performed the Rudra Thandava at Ubhayakaveri — and each time his matted locks touched the earth during the dance, a Shiva Linga rose from the ground and danced along with him. Alarmed at this unchecked growth, the Devas and rishis appealed to Lord Vishnu, who descended from Paramapatha Vaikuntham; on seeing him approach, Lord Shiva halted his Tandavam, by which time eleven Shiva Lingas had already emerged. Vishnu immediately assumed ten further forms to match them, and delighted at beholding these eleven forms of Vishnu, Shiva asked that they converge back into a single form — whereupon Vishnu gathered the eleven Shiva Lingas into one. This is why, for all eleven Vishnu temples at Thirunangur, there stands only a single Shiva temple, and how the eleven Divya Desams of Thirunangur came into being. Apart from these eleven Vishnu temples, there is also a temple dedicated to Thirumangai Alwar, called Thiruvaliyam Thirunagari.
