The name Perum+cheri means a vast group and the village was so named because it is said that there were 40,000 sages who lived in this village. They performed severe penance and thought that this would be sufficient to provide for their needs and that there was no superior god. To enrich their knowledge, Siva in the form of Bhikshadana and Vishnu in the form of Mohini, came to the village and blessed them.