Surutapalli

Surutapalli is an interesting temple, which depicts Lord Shiva in a reclining posture. Usually, it is Lord Vishnu who is seen reclining with his head on Lakshmi’s lap but here it is Lord Shiva who reclines with his head on Parvati’s lap while the sages and other Gods look on.
The story of the temple is related to the legend of the Devas and Asuras churning the ocean for nectar. When the ocean is churned, it spews out precious things of all kinds, from wealth and precious stones to unique animals and even the Goddess Lakshmi. However, before the nectar emerges, out comes the deadly poison, which is consumed by Lord Shiva to protect everyone. He imbibes the poison, but feels giddy, and lies down for a while with his head on Parvati’s lap. This is what gives the place its name, for suruta―comes from the Tamil word for dizzy while palli is the word for resting place.

The main sanctum in this temple houses two lingams facing each other―Ramalingeswarar and Valmikeswarar. These are related to another legend about the same place. As the story goes, the sage Valmiki prayed to Lord Rama here and obtained his blessings. When Lord Rama was on his way back from Lanka, he stopped here for a while, and both of them prayed to Lord Shiva, who appeared before them and blessed them. The lingams they prayed to, are known by their names as Ramalingeswarar and Valmikeswarar.
Additional information:
Distance from Tirupati: 75 km Distance from Chennai: 56 km