As per Hindu legend, the god Vishnu was pleased by the worship of the childless Chola king Nanda Chola, and he blessed the king with a child that was an incarnate of Lakshmi, his consort. The king found the child in a 1000 petal lotus tank while hunting in a forest. Since the child was born out of lotus, she was named Kamalvalli by the king. Time came when Kamalavalli fell in love with Vishnu in the form of Ranganathar, the presiding deity of Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple. The Chola king readily got her married to Ranganathar who appeared here as the groom. Since Vishnu appeared as Azhagiya Manavalan, meaning a beautiful groom, the temple built here is called Azhagiya Manavalan Temple. The event is celebrated as Serthi Sevai festival every year.