திருவெள்ளியங்குடி

The temple is counted as a Vaishnava Shukra Kshetra, one of the few Divya Desams associated with Shukra (Venus) among the navagrahas, the place-name Thiruvelliyangudi and the deity's local name Velliyan both derive from "Velli," the Tamil word for Venus.

Its most distinctive feature is a four-handed Garuda: temple tradition holds that when Vishnu appeared here as Rama, carrying a bow, he needed both hands free and so temporarily handed his conch (Panchajanya) and discus (Sudarshana) to his vahana Garuda to hold, giving rise to the unusual image of Garudalwar depicted with four arms, two of his own plus the two weapons, rather than the two-armed form seen at most other Divya Desams.

Temple tradition holds that Vishnu appeared here in an especially beautiful (kola) form to please his devotee Shukra, and that he appeared again in a bridal (Kalyana Kolam) form for the sages Parasara and Markandeya, for Brahma, Bhudevi, and for Shukra himself, the sheer number of devotees said to have witnessed this one appearance is itself part of the temple's distinct identity among the 108.

The temple is understood to have been built by the medieval Cholas, possibly as early as the 8th century CE, with later expansion under the Vijayanagara rulers, a common pattern across the Chola Nadu Divya Desams, most of which saw continuous royal patronage across several dynasties.

The temple is built in Dravidian style with a granite central shrine enclosed within brick compound walls, fronted by a three-tiered rajagopuram. Alongside the Sukra Theertham, the complex has three further sacred water bodies (Parasara, Brahma and Indra Theertams) reflecting the multiple devotees associated with Vishnu's appearance here.

Brahmotsavam is the temple's principal annual festival, alongside the widely observed Vaikunta Ekadashi. The temple additionally marks Vishnupathi Punya Kaalam (the opening days of the Tamil months of Vaikasi, Avani, Karthigai and Masi) as auspicious occasions associated with seeking Garuda's blessings.

Daily worship follows the customary schedule of the Thanjavur-belt Divya Desams.