Near the Gangaikonda Cholapuram-Kumbakonam Road, an unpaved lane leads to a compound with two notable temples. Locally called Sorgapallam or Sembodai, this place was once Ulagalantha Cholagam. The area is thick with Prosopis juliflora plants, known as ‘Velikathan’. One temple, the Thiruvarasu, honors Nathamunigal, the first Acharya of Vaishnavism. He recovered the entire 4,000 hymns of the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, also called the Dravida Veda. Inside the shrine, an idol of Nathamunigal holds ‘thalams’ (musical beats) in both hands, showing his mastery in music. Komagan, president of the Nathamunigal Thiruvarasu Arakkatallai Trust, said they found an idol of Srinivasa Perumal half-buried under a tree, proving a temple once existed here but was lost over time. Later, around 2000, they found Nathamunigal’s idol buried in a field. The land once belonged to the Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple but the trust has since expanded it and holds regular poojas there. Although Nathamunigal was born near Chidambaram, historians report he passed away near Gangaikonda Cholapuram, a site that came up after his era. According to T. A. Gopinatha Rao and other experts, Nathamunigal lived in the 9th century between 823 and 916 AD. Stories tell how he sought Rama, Lakshmana, and Hanuman near Gangaikonda Cholapuram and died longing to see them. Different stories exist about how Nathamunigal recovered the 4,000 hymns. One account says he heard pilgrims reciting verses at Kattumannarkoil temple, igniting his quest. Another tale from the novel Ponniyin Selvan depicts a character teaching him the verses. The Guruparampara tradition says Nathamunigal met pilgrims at Sarangapani Temple in Kumbakonam, learning about the lost hymns at Thirukurugur. He then prayed 12,000 times under a tamarind tree where Nammalvar was placed, and was blessed with all 4,000 verses. Nathamunigal compiled and set these hymns to music and standardized Vaishnavite temple worship. He also organized important festivals like Raapathu and Pagalpathu. This temple stands as a proud memorial to the Acharya who strengthened Vaishnavism’s spiritual and musical heritage.