This temple is vast and has huge mandapams and has life sized images. It is a beautiful temple and is one of the 5 Pancha Sabhas of Nataraja having the Tamra Sabha (the copper hall) - a beautiful hall with exquisite woodwork, where Natarajar is worshipped during Arudra Darisanam. This shrine is the 14th of the Tevara Stalams in the Pandya region of Tamilnadu.
Legends: It is believed that food grains collected for worship were protected from the floods by a fence made of grains and so it is called Nel Veli. Agasthyar and Vishnu worshipped here.
Temple: The temple is a complex and has two huge temples for Nellaiappar and Kantimati connected by the Sangili Mandapam, which has life-sized sculptures adorning the pillars. The Oonjal Mandapam and the 1000-pillared hall are beautiful. There is a Nellai Govindan shrine near the sanctum. Periya Sabhapathi and Sandana Sabhapati are the other two Natarajar images here.
The Manimandapam near the Nandi mandapam has two giant pillars carved out of a single stone. Each has 48 smaller sub pillars, which produce musical notes.
Festivals: The annual Bhrammotsavam is celebrated in the Tamil month of Aani for an extended period of time. Arudra Darisanam in Margazhi witnesses a lot of festivity.
