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During the Samudra manthan (churning of the ocean of milk) by the gods and demons, many treasures along with the Amrita (elixir of the gods) and the poison Halahala rose from the ocean. To rescue the beings of the world from the poison, Shiva consumed it. When the poison was just going down the throat of Shiva, his consort Parvati stopped it there by tightly holding Shiva’s throat, turning Shiva's neck blue. After the episode, Shiva proceeded to his abode Kailash with Parvati. On the way, he felt exhausted and slightly uncomfortable, when he reached a place in the bounds of Andhra, which came to be called Suruttappalli. There, He lied down to relax, keeping his head in the lap of Parvati. The gods, who were concerned about Shiva’s well-being assembled there and stood around him, waiting for the Lord to open his eyes. This lying posture of Shiva is rare and unique, is almost similar to Vishnu’s reclining posture.

The presiding deity Pallikondeswara, unlike other Siva Temples, will be in reclining posture in the lap of his consort Parvati.

The deity here is termed as Bhoga sayana Siva.

This icon of Shiva is unusual; most Shiva temples contain a Lingam, his aniconic symbol, as the central icon. The gods Ganesha, Kartikeya, Surya, Chandra, Indra and sages such as Narada are seen standing around Shiva.