The Saranathan Temple in Thirucherai, a village on the outskirts of Kumbakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.

The temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE.

The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity with contributions at different times from Medieval Cholas, the Vijayanagara Empire and Madurai Nayaks.

Saranathan is believed to have appeared to the goddess Kaveri, the sage Markandeya and the Hindu god Indra.

The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

As per Hindu legend, when time came to destroy the world and finish the yuga, the creator deity, Brahma, was worried.

After trying mud from all places, Brahma finally made a pot out of the sand taken from Thirucherai and saved all Vedas and all necessary aids for creation.

Due to the role as saviour for all living things after the Mahapralaya (dissolution) so this place is called "Sara Shetram".

The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity with contributions at different times from Medieval Cholas, the Vijayanagara Empire and Madurai Nayaks.

But before that overnight Narasa Boopalan constructed this temple and to please the king he added a shrine for Rajagopala swamy.

There are separate shrines of Rama, Narashima, Kaliyamardhana, Bala Saranatha, Senai Mudaliar, Ramanuja, Pillai Lokacharya, the Alvars and Manavala Mamunigal in the temple.

[10] The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis based on Pancharatra Agama.

The temple rituals are performed six times a day: Ushathkalam at 7 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 10:00 p.m. Each ritual has three steps: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Saranatha Perumal and Saranayagi.

It is believed that it only on the auspicious day of Pushya star of the month that Vishnu descended from Vaikuntam to earth to bestow Kaveri.

[2] The temple is revered in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Sri Vaishnava canon, by Thirumangai Alvar in eleven hymns.

Divya Kavi Pillai Perumal Aiyangar in his Ashta Prabanda states that people should not waste their time glorifying wealthy men, but should laud the greatness of the almighty.

The temple is represented in five divine elements of Perumal, Nachiyar, Vimana, Tirtha and land and hence called Tirucherai.