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Parthasarathy Temple situated at Triplicane is one of the
two famous and ancient shrines in
Chennai. The temple
is said to have existed 1200 years ago. Triplicane is also known as "Thiruvallikeni",
one of the 108 Divya Desams, renovated by a king of Pallava Dynasty. "Brindaranya"
is the traditional Puranic name of Thiruvallikeni. While dedicated to
Vishnu in his incarnation as Krishna, the Parthasarathy Temple at
Triplicane enshrines images of the five incarnations of Vishnu including
that of a wounded Krishna.
The Legend
The deity is called "Parthasarathy", as he was the charioteer
(sarathy) for Arjuna (Parththan) during the great Kurukshetra war
described in the Mahabarata (also spelt as Mahabharatha) epic. Lord
Krishna undertook not to take part in the war but agreed to be the
charioteer to Arjuna. Bhishma, from the opposing side in order to break
Krishna's undertaking, shot arrows at his face. Devotees believe that the
marks on the face of the idol in this temple are the wounds sustained in
that war. Krishna after the war came here to rest next to a beautiful pond
full of 'Alli' flowers thus giving this place the Tamil name
'Thiru-alli-kerny'.
About The Temple
The temple is referred to in the ancient Vaishnavite works of the Alwar
saints. The temple covers an area of 1.5 acres and one can see the
inscriptions, which date back to 8th century Pallavas (Tondaiman
Chakravarti). A number of fine carvings adorn the temple. The present
structure of the temple is largely based on the renovations and additions
carried out in the 16th century.
The Vijayanagar rulers made several endowments to the temple. The gold
image of Tirumaal Nachiyaar, adorning the chest of Venkatakrishnar is a
rare work of art. This shrine is considered equivalent to Tirupati.
In the temple complex there are shrines dedicated to Sri Ranganatha,
Venkatakrishnaswamy, Sri Rama with his brothers and his consort Sita, and
Sri Andal. Sri Hanumar can be seen facing the shrine of Sri Rama. The
Azhwars and Archaryas of the Vaishnavite tradition are given pride of
place in this temple.
The Deity
The Lord's name here is "Venkatakrishnan". Sri Parthasarathy in
the sanctum sanctorum is in a standing posture facing east holding in his
right hand and the divine conch called the "Panchajanyam"(He
dosen't hold the usual chakra called Sudharshana here). His left hand is
in Dana Mudra indicating His Divine feet.
He is seen with his consort Rukmani on his right and his brother Sri
Balaraman on his left along with his younger brother Sadyagi, his son
Pratumnan and his grandson Aniruthan. It is a rare sight to see the divine
Lord with the members of His family. It is believed that Venkateswara of
Tirupati manifested himself as Parthasarathy here and hence the name
Venkatakrishnan.
Festivities
The important festivals conducted here are the Brahmotsavam in the month
of Chithirai (April/May), Thiruaadipooram held for 10 days in the month of
Aadi (July/August), and in the month of Markazhi (December-January) the
festival called Neerattu Utsavam culminating with Thirukkalyanam.
Air:
Chennai has an
airport with national and international terminals. Regular flights connect
Chennai with the major cities within the country and countries like
Singapore, America, UK, etc.
Rail: Chennai
is well connected by rail with all the major places within and beyond the
state.
Road: State transport buses and private buses connect
Chennai with the
major towns and cities within the state and country. For local
transportation, local trains, city buses and auto rickshaws are available.
Being the capital city of the state, Chennai is well equipped with various kinds of accommodation options, varying from economic class to luxurious ones.