Avarani, a small village in Nagapattinam district, is home to a temple for Vishnu, wherein the deity is worshipped as Ananthanarayana Perumal. A Chola epigraph of the reign of Kulottunga Chola III (1178-1217 CE) mentions that this place was then called Kilkkudi alias Simhavishnu Chaturvedimangalam in Ala Nadu, a subdividion of Arulmozhideva Valanadu. A Chola inscription of the reign of Rajaraja III (1216-1250 CE) found in this temple refers to this place as Abaranadani Chaturvedimangalam and it seems clear that this name has changed to the present Avarani. An epigraph of the Vijayanagara era of Tippayadeva Maharaja dated 1474 CE mentions Abaranadhari alias Uttarananda Puram which was located in a hamlet of Sikkal in Geyamanikka Valanadu.
The main entrance to the temple is on the east with only a modern entranceway up to the door level and no gopuram. The imposing principal image of Ananthanarayana Perumal is in a reclining pose on Adisesha with seven hoods. Perumal’s face is slightly tilted outwards, towards the devotees visiting this temple who stand in front of this sanctum. The deity is approximately twenty-one feet long. He is covered with ornaments (abharana), thus earning Him the name Abaranadhari (He who wears ornaments). He is seen with a crown and jewels adorning the ears, neck, hands, and legs.
Directly facing the main image is Garuda. Goddess Mahalakshmi in the prakaram (enclosure) of this temple is worshipped as Alankaravalli (in Samskrit, ‘alankara’ means ‘to decorate’). Padma Anjaneya, Thumbikai Azhvar, and the Azhvars (important devotees of Vishnu) are also in worship here. Many inscriptions, as stated earlier, have been found in this temple, belonging to the time of later Chola kings and also some belonging to the Vijayanagara times.
Some Chola lithic records register donations to a Siva temple named Parvathiswaram. The 15th-century Vijayanagara inscription of Tippaya Mahadeva mentioned earlier, registers the gift of the village Abaranadhari alias Uttaranandapuram, free of all taxes, for daily worship and offerings at a service called Tipparajan Sandi and for festivals and repairs in the temple of Pallikonda Perumal.