திருக்கவித்தலம்

As a Panchakanna Kshetram, Kabisthalam belongs to a group of five Divya Desams associated with Krishna ("Kanna" in Tamil). The village's own name is traditionally traced to a second layer of legend: Hanuman, the vanara lieutenant of Rama and himself regarded as an incarnation touched by Vishnu's grace, is said to have worshipped Gajendra Varadha Perumal here, and "kabi," the Tamil word for monkey, is held to be the origin of "Kabisthalam." The sage Parasara is also traditionally connected with worship at this site.

Temple tradition holds that this is the site of the Gajendra Moksha episode, where Vishnu descended to rescue the elephant-devotee Gajendra (also known as Indradyumna in a past life) after he was seized by a crocodile while bathing in a sacred pond, answering the elephant's desperate call for protection. The Perumal's name here, Gajendra Varadha ("the one who grants boons to Gajendra") commemorates this rescue directly.

Separate from legend, the temple is generally dated to the late 9th century CE, built under the Medieval Cholas, with later contributions recorded from the Vijayanagara empire and the Madurai Nayaks.

Daily worship follows the customary schedule of the Kumbakonam-area Divya Desams.