History knows Krishnadeva Raya as a great ruler and a scholar. But little less is known about his preceptor Saint Vyasaraja, considered reincarnation of Bhakta Prahalada.

The rulers of Vijayanagar felt their empire would benefit greatly under his tutelage and requested him to undertake periodical ‘Digvijayams.’ He immediately obliged.

Embarking on his tour, the saint installed hanuman idols in all the 732 places he visited. Three such idols were placed in Coimbatore _ one at RG Street (between Raja Street and Thomas Stree), second at Perur and third one near Cholan Padithurai. The place where the first icon is placed is called Vyasaraja Mutt.

During his visit to the city, the saint was said to have stayed in the shrine in RG Street during which he wrote several manuscripts and held discussions with his disciples.

Local rulers, landlords and public not only patronized the saint but also attended several discourses. It is also said that the saint made use of all the offerings from them to develop the shrine and spread harmony.