In the Tamil language, temples are known as "kovils,"; thus the temple complex is known locally as "Konecharam Kovil" (), the abode of "Kona"—"Eiswara" (the Chief Lord or God). The presiding Shiva deity's names are "Konesar" () (pronounced "Konechar" or "Konasir" – a compound of Kona and Eiswara), "Koneswaran", "Kona—Natha" and the goddess consort is called "Mathumai Amman" (another name for Mother goddess Amman). It later earned the title "Thiru Koneswaram Kovil". The origin of the term "Ko" or "Kone" lies in the Old Tamil word for the terms "Lord", "King" or "Chief", which allude to the deity that presides here; this term appears in several Damili inscriptions of the sixth century B.C. – second century A.D. Trincomalee, the coastal peninsula town where Koneswaram is located is an Anglicized form of the old Tamil word "Thiru-kona-malai" (), meaning "Lord of the Sacred Hill", its earliest reference in this form found in the "Tevaram" of the seventh century by Sampandar.