It was immediately put out by the temple staff, they said.
There was no damage to property and no one was injured.
The fire was caused by an LPG gas cylinder leak in the temple premises, police said.
The mishap has occurred days after a fire on the premises of the famous Meenakshi temple in Madurai destroyed 40 shops.
A preliminary probe has revealed that the February 2 fire broke out due to an electrical short-circuit in one of the shops situated near the 1,000-pillar hall.