This temple-complex originally consisted of three identical shrines built in a row all facing west. In front of the trio, was a maha-mandapa, a vrsha-mandapa and a gopura and surrounding the main shrines are sixteen shrines for the subsidiary deities (parivara devatas). Of these, the central and the southern shrines are preserved in full and rest of the structures are preserved only on plan and that too brought to light in the clearance work.

The shrines have a beautiful padma-pushkala type of basement (adhisthana). The wall has projections and niches (devakoshthas) canopied by makara-toranas. The upper tiers (talas) of the shrine slightly differ in details but they carry bold square sikhara with kudus.

A Sanskrit inscription on the central vimana clearly asserts that Bhuti Vikramakesari, an Irukkuvel chief built the three shrines. He named the central shrine after himself and the two flanking ones after his queens viz. Karrali and Varaguna. Regarding the dating of Bhuti Vikramakesari’s rule there are two opinions among scholars. One opinion is that he was contemporary to Chola king Aditya I (AD 871-907) and the other opined that he was a contemporary of Sundara Chola (AD957-973) and his son Aditya II (AD 960-965).

The architectural style of this temple is closer to Early Cholas than the latter ones. It is identified with Tirupudisvaram, a name that occurs in another record of Mahimalya Irrukuvel in the Muchukundesvara temple of the same place.

The temple is adorned with beautiful sculptures of Siva as Ardhanari, Bhikshatana, Umasahita, Gangadhara, Kalari etc., besides other gods and apsaras which is unusual and has few parallels in contemporary Chola examples.

In all the two surviving buildings are well proportioned, dignified and clearly conceived in terms of the articulation of masses and the organisation of elements

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