Lord Suryan is believed to have worshiped Lord Shiva seated on an Elephant, to signify this you can see the Vimana (Gajaprashta Vimana) in Shiva temples resembling the back of an elephant. This is one of the reasons for the Style of construction in those 1000-1300 years old temples.
This is also seen at Vengeeswarar Temple, Vadapalani. The temple is a 1000 years old one.