Nachiar Kovil or Thirunarayur Nambi Temple in Thirunarayur, a village in the outskirts of Kumbakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th to 9th centuries AD.
It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Srinivasa Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Nachiyar. The temple is the place where god Vishnu is believed to have initiatedPancha Samskara (religious initiation) to Thirmangai Azhwar. The temple follows Thenkalai mode of worship.
Once upon a time there lived a saint named Medhavi here in Nachiyar Kovil. He wanted Mahalakshmi to be his daughter so he pleaded Mahavishnu and on an auspicious day under the tree called "Vanjula Maram", he found a very beautiful girl child. He named her "Vanjulavalli" after the tree from where he found her.
Here Lord Vishnu stands in a begging posture seeking Varulambika's hand from saint Medhavi in the Moolavar Sannadhi. In accordance to the saint's wish, Thaayar stands a step ahead to perumal.Shankarshnan, Prathyumnan, Anirudhan and purushothaman too bless us in the Moolavar sannathi by standing a step back to the Narayur Nambi.
Here Stone idol of the bird Garuda, Stands as the Vahanam or Vehicle to Narayur Nambi whereas Annam or the Swan is the Vahanam of the Godess Vagulambika.