Tirunaraiyur is called so because of the sweet fragrance of flowers growing here in abundance (narai = sweet smell). The Siva temple here is called the Siddhanathasvami temple. The Tamil saint, Sambandar (7th century) devoted a decad to the Lord of Siddhisvaram. The earliest inscription in this temple is an incomplete one but from the contents it can be assigned to Uttama Chola (971 - 988 CE). The temple is an early Chola temple, reconstructed in the days of Uttama Chola. The original temple consisted of a sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha), the foyer (antarala) and a half-hall (ardhamandapa). Further up, there is a front hall (mukhmandapa). This temple has a Natraja bronze of the Sembiyan age. Reference: S.R. Balasubrahmanyam, 1971, pp. 178-79.