The deity of the Bhuminatheswara temple of Tiruchuzhi had proceeded through the streets of the town and was about to re-enter the temple. At that moment in the house of Sundaram Aiyar a holy child entered this world. The midwife held the newborn in her arms and witnessed the room suffused with bright white light. The son was given the name of Venkataraman. The hour of his birth was past midnight on December 29, 1879 and hence it was December 30.