Parthasarathy Temple, Thiruvallikeni (Triplicane)
Thiruvallikeni (Brindaranya Kshetram)
Photo: Mohan Krishnan (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
The only Divya Desam where the deity is shown with battle scars; among the oldest temples in Chennai.
Sthala Purāṇam
The Parthasarathy Temple at Triplicane (Thiruvallikeni), Chennai, dates to the Pallava era of around the eighth century and is among the oldest structures in the city. The presiding deity is Venkatakrishnan, worshipped as Parthasarathy, the charioteer (sarathi) of Partha (Arjuna) at the Kurukshetra war. According to the sthala puranam, a king named Sumati prayed to Lord Venkatesa at Tirupati to behold Vishnu in the form of Arjuna's charioteer; he was directed to this forest of tulasi, where the Lord granted that vision. The site is associated with sage Atreya, credited with the temple's origin, and with rishis who performed penance here. The name Thiruvallikeni derives from Alli-keni, a pond of water lilies. Uniquely among Vishnu temples, the main image bears a prominent moustache and carries a conch, and a mark on the face is linked to the wound Krishna sustained from Bhishma's arrows while shielding Arjuna, refusing to bear arms himself. The temple enshrines five forms of Vishnu: Yoga Narasimha, Rama, Gajendra Varadaraja, Ranganatha, and Krishna as Parthasarathy. It was glorified by Thirumangai Alvar and by the early Pey Alvar in the Divya Prabandham. The temple tank is the Kairavini Pushkarini, associated with several tirthas, and the sanctum bears the Ananda (Anandha) Vimana.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Venkatakrishnan (Utsavar: Parthasarathy) with Rukmini Thayar; Vedavalli Thayar of Thiruvallikeni (Brindaranya Kshetram) is glorified in 12 pāsurams by:
Gallery
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