Vaishnava · Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Parthasarathy Temple, Triplicane
திருவல்லிக்கேணி பார்த்தசாரதி கோயில்
Venkatakrishnan (Parthasarathy) with the arrow scars on his face
GeneralMarriage
The temple in short
- Deity
- Venkatakrishnan (Parthasarathy) with the arrow scars on his face
- Where
- Chennai, Tamil Nadu · 13.05N 80.27E
- Usual hours
- 5.30 am – 12.30 pm, 4 pm – 9 pm — hours change with festivals and the season; check before travelling. Were these right when you went?
- Grahas
- Guru Sukran
- Visited for
- Chennai’s oldest temple, the charioteer of the Gita with no weapon in his hand. Vaikunta Ekadasi and the Chithirai Brahmotsavam are its days.
The sthala purana
Tradition, as it is told at the temple
The Perumal here is Krishna as Arjuna’s charioteer, and the sthala purana keeps to that moment: he carries no weapon, because he had undertaken not to fight in the war, and his face carries the marks left by Bhishma’s arrows.
Five of the Vrishni heroes stand together in the sanctum — Krishna with Balarama, Satyaki, Pradyumna and Aniruddha — which is an arrangement found almost nowhere else.
What is recorded
Documented history
Thiruvallikeni is one of the 108 Divya Desams, sung by the Azhwars, and is generally taken to be the oldest surviving temple in Chennai. There is Pallava-period work at its core, with Chola and Vijayanagara building over it.
What there is to see
Description
Two gopurams stand on the same frontage: one over the Parthasarathy shrine and one over the Narasimha shrine, which is a separate temple within the same walls.
The Kairavini Pushkarani, a large tank with steps, lies immediately in front and is used for the float festival.
The moolavar’s face carries the arrow scars, and he is shown with a moustache, which is unusual for a Perumal and is the detail people come away talking about.
The temple year
The days it is fullest
Vaikunta Ekadasi in Margazhi is the largest day, when the Paramapada Vasal is opened and the queue runs back into the streets.
The Chithirai Brahmotsavam with the car, Krishna Jayanthi, the Theppam on the tank and the Margazhi morning recitations of the Thiruppavai and Thiruvempavai are the other days.
Getting there, and what else it is called
- Also called
- Thiruvallikeni Parthasarathy Perumal Temple
- Period
- Pallava origins, with Chola and Vijayanagara building over them
- Reaching it
- The temple is in Triplicane, Chennai, a short walk inland from the Marina. Chepauk MRTS station is nearby and Chennai Egmore is about 3 km away.
Where it is
Others within reach
Nearest first, by straight-line distance
- Kapaleeswarar Temple, Mylapore 2.2 km · Saiva
- Vadapalani Andavar Temple 6.5 km · Murugan
- Ashtalakshmi Temple, Besant Nagar 6.7 km · Vaishnava
- Sri Bhaktha Anjaneyar Temple, Nanganallur 10.9 km · Vaishnava
- Thyagaraja Swamy Temple, Thiruvottiyur 12.7 km · Saiva
- Masilamaniswarar Temple, Thirumullaivoyal 16.1 km · Saiva
Add what you know
Been to this temple? The things that change — whether the hours on this page were right, whether the sannidhi was open, how long the queue was on a Saturday — are exactly what no printed source keeps current, and what the next person travelling here needs.
- Were the hours right when you went?
- Is anything on this page wrong or out of date?
- A photograph of the gopuram, the tank, or the notice board
A contribution carries a name, so a reader knows whose account it came from. That is why it needs an account, and it is the only reason.
Parihaaram is traditional practice, offered for devotion and peace of mind; it is not a guaranteed cure of any condition. Temple hours change with festivals and the season, so check before travelling.