This temple was built by the Great Chola King Raja Raja Chola, who dreamt everything big. Located in a large compound, the temple covers the Eashwarar in the centre. Unlike other South Indian temples where the temple Gopurams are at the entrance or on four sides, in this temple, the gopuram is in the centre. The gopuram is in a rectangular shape one storey above another, designed in such a way the shadow does not fall on the ground at noon. The top of the gopuram is covered with one piece of huge monolithic stone and it is stated that the stone was brought to the top by rolling over an inclined road which was later destroyed. The Sri Shiva lingam is huge in size as are the Nandi. The goddess is known as Sri Brihannayaki (Periyanayaki).

For such a huge temple, it is stated that the foundation is only 5 Ft. deep and the strength of the foundation comes from the long and wide base. Currently, the temple is maintained by the Indian Government archaeological department. Large numbers of tourist including foreigners come to this temple to appreciate the archaeological beauty of this temple.