Indra, the king of celestial deities, after getting released from the curse of Goddess Saraswati, installed the silver and golden lizards who were the witness of the ordeal.
Brahma performed a yagna here, which was about to be washed away by the fast flowing river Vegavathi, known today as Palar River.
The temple deity, Vishnu laid himself flat to stay the flow and the yagna was successfully performed.
Vishnu emerged with brilliance of thousand Suns as Devarajaswamy and stayed here permanently.
As is the case with the association of South Indian temples with a sacred tree, the name of the temple, Attigiri is derived from Atti tree (fig), considered sacred to Vaishnavas.

As per Hindu legend, Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, separated with his wife Saraswathi over a misunderstanding.
He did an Aswameda worship (with a horse) seeking boons from Vishnu.
Vishnu was pleased by the devotion and came out from under the earth as a boar and got Saraswathi unite with Brahma.
As per another legend, Saraswathi cursed the king of celestial deities, Indra, to become an elephant and roam around the place.
He was relived off the curse with the divine power of Vishnu, who appeared as the mount, Hastagiri.
Attagiri indicates a mount in the form of elephant.
As per another legend, the disciples of sage Gautama were cursed to become lizards.
They resided in the temple and were relieved of the curse by the divine grace of Vishnu.
There is a panel in the temple where the two lizards are depicted in the roof of the temple.

Thirukkachi Nambigal (also known as Kanchi Purnar) was an ardent devotee of this temple.
He used to bring flowers everyday from Poovirundhavalli, where he maintained a garden.
He did Aalavatta Kaingariyam, waving to produce breeze with the help of hand fan.
It is believed that Vardharaja used to converse with him, while he was doing that seva.
Aalavatta Kaingariyam is a worship practise followed in modern times also.

Nambi also composed Devarajaashtakam (A Sanskrit poem of 8 verses) on the presiding deity.
Sri Ramanujar, another great Vaishnavite, got answers to his six questions from Lord Varadharaja through Sri Thirukkachi Nambigal.
Indra, the king of celestial deities, after getting released from the curse of Goddess Saraswati, installed the silver and golden lizards who were the witness of the ordeal. Brahma performed a yagna here, which was about to be washed away by the fast flowing river Vegavathi, known today as Palar River. The temple deity, Vishnu laid himself flat to stay the flow and the yagna was successfully performed. Vishnu emerged with brilliance of thousand Suns as Devarajaswamy and stayed here permanently. As is the case with the association of South Indian temples with a sacred tree, the name of the temple, Attigiri is derived from Atti tree (fig), considered sacred to Vaishnavas.
As per Hindu legend, Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, separated with his wife Saraswathi over a misunderstanding. He did an Aswameda worship (with a horse) seeking boons from Vishnu. Vishnu was pleased by the devotion and came out from under the earth as a boar and got Saraswathi unite with Brahma. As per another legend, Saraswathi cursed the king of celestial deities, Indra, to become an elephant and roam around the place. He was relived off the curse with the divine power of Vishnu, who appeared as the mount, Hastagiri. Attagiri indicates a mount in the form of elephant. As per another legend, the disciples of sage Gautama were cursed to become lizards. They resided in the temple and were relieved of the curse by the divine grace of Vishnu. There is a panel in the temple where the two lizards are depicted in the roof of the temple.
Thirukkachi Nambigal (also known as Kanchi Purnar) was an ardent devotee of this temple. He used to bring flowers everyday from Poovirundhavalli, where he maintained a garden. He did Aalavatta Kaingariyam, waving to produce breeze with the help of hand fan. It is believed that Vardharaja used to converse with him, while he was doing that seva. Aalavatta Kaingariyam is a worship practise followed in modern times also.
Nambi also composed Devarajaashtakam (A Sanskrit poem of 8 verses) on the presiding deity. Sri Ramanujar, another great Vaishnavite, got answers to his six questions from Lord Varadharaja through Sri Thirukkachi Nambigal.
Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram