The Parthasarthy Temple

Built in the 8 th century during the reign of Pal lava kings, the Parthasarthy temple is one of the oldest surviving temples in Chennai . One of the most sacred places the temple is dedicated to lord Vishnu in his incarnation of Krishna during the period of Mahabhartha. The temple has the idols of five incarnation of lord Vishnu including the wounded Krishna.

The existence of the temple till today can be attributed to its renovation by next successive rulers like the Pandyas, and the Chola king over next period of 4 centuries. Some of the structures in the temple resemble the architecture style of the Vijayanagar kings time that ruled in the 16 th century. References of its existence can be found in the ancient Vaisnavite works of Alwar saints.

The temple is famous for its magnificent Gopuram (arched gateway). The temple itself is decorated by a number of fine carvings.

The meaning of the word ‘Parthasarthy’ is charioteer of Arjun. In Mahabhartha Arjun was also called Parth and ‘sarthy’ means charipoteer. Since Krishna was the charioteer of Arjuna during the great war of Mahabharta, he came to be called as Parthasarthy. The temple is located in Triplcane in Chennai, which was one the major harbours during the rule of Pallavas. Today it is a beautiful beach in Chennai.and also has shrines of the two consorts of the lord –Vedavalli Ammai . The main shrine is for Venkatakrishnan with Rukmini, Balaraman, Satyaki, Anirudha, and Pradyumna. There are also shrines for Ranganathar, and a separate sanctum for his consort Vedavalli. Idols of Rama along with Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrughna and Hanuman, Varadarajan seated on the Garuda, and Narasimhar are the in a different shrine. Apart from these, there is a separate shrine for Andal.

The Parthasarthy temple is perhaps the only temple where the idols of the lord can be found with that of his family members, in the south India. Vaikunta Ekadashi is celebrated by the recital of the 4000 poems known as the 'Tamil Vedam', in praise of the Lord. There are special prayers on Saturdays in the month of Purattasi. The annual Bhrammotsavam celebrated in the month of Chittirai is a special ocassion for devotees. Vaikuntha Ekadasi celebrated in Margazhi is one of the important festivals. The float festival is held in the month of Feb-Mar. There is a beautiful glass palanquin. The Utsavar is Parthasarathy.