Thiru Anbil, or Sri Vadivazhagiya Nambi Perumal Temple, is a Hindu temple located at a distance of about 8 km from Lalgudi

Lalgudi

Lalgudi is a town in Tiruchirapalli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Geography:Lalgudi is a town located around 20KM from Tiruchirapalli on NH227 Tiruchirapalli-Chidambaram. Lalgudi lies close to Coleroon River...

 near Tiruchirappalli, In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

; on the banks of the river Kollidam. It is one of the Pancharanga Kshetrams

Pancharanga Kshetrams

Pancharanga Kshetrams literally means 5 Ranganatha temples . These 5 temples are situated on the banks of Kaveri in south India. The following constitute Pancharanga Kshetrams:-References:2....

. and one of the 108 Divya desams

Divya Desams

Divya Desams refer to 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars . 105 of these are located in India, 1 in Nepal, while 2 are located outside of the Earthly realms. 'Divya' in Tamil language indicates premium and 'Desam' indicates place or temple.The two major deities...

. along the course of the Kaveri are Srirangapatnam (Karnataka), Srirangam

Srirangam

Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....

, Koyiladi (Anbil) and Kumbakonam

Kumbakonam

Kumbakonam , also spelt as Coombaconum in the records of British India , is a town and a special grade municipality in the Thanjavur district in the southeast Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located 40 kilometres from Thanjavur and 272 kilometres from Chennai, it is the headquarters of the Kumbakonam...

 and Indalur

Indalur

Indalur is a village in the Thanjavur taluk of Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India.- Demographics :As per the 2001 census, Indalur had a total population of with males and females. The sex ratio was . The literacy rate was ....

 (Mayiladuturai). Anbil is also known by the names of Tirumaalayanturai, Mandookapuri, and Bhrahmapuri.

The Temple

Located on the North Bank of the river Kollidam this temple is situated on approximately 1.5 acres (6,070.3 m²) of land. The east-facing temple is entered through a 3 tiered Raja-gopuram

Gopuram

A Gopuram or Gopura, is a monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of any temple, especially in Southern India. This forms a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial...

(main roofs in Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

).
This temple is referred to by a pasuram of Tirumazhisai Alwar

Thirumazhisai Aazhwar

Tirumazhisai-aazhvaar is one of the twelve Alvars of Vaishnavism and is so called as he was born in Thirumazhisai. This place has a temple for Jagannatha Perumal where you can see the idol of Thirumazhisai Azhwar with the eye on the thumb nail in his right leg. His asterism is makham...

 where he addresses seven shrines featuring Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 in a reclining position - Tirukkudandai, Tiruvegkaa, Tiruvallur, Tiruvarangam, Tiruppernagar, Anbil and Tirupparkadal and hence is a Divya Desam.

King Sundara Chola who ruled the area was a devotee of this lord and since he saw innumerable victories in wars he showered a lot of wealth on this temple. The lord is believed to have appeared before Brahma

Brahma

Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...

 and Valmiki

Valmiki

Valmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e...

here.