Parthasarathy Kovil
Encyclopedia
The Parthasarathy Temple is an 8th century Hindu
Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, located at Triplicane
, Chennai
, India. It is one among the 108 divyadesams or holy abodes of Lord Vishnu. The name 'Parthasarathy', in Sanskrit
, means the 'charioteer of Arjuna
', and Lord Krishna is worshipped in that role in this temple.
It was originally built by the Pallavas in the 8th century by king Narasimhavarman I
. One of the distinguishing features of is that it has four of the incarnations or avatars of Vishnu: Narasimha
, Rama
, Varaha
and Krishna
.
The temple is one of the oldest structures in Chennai
. There are shrine
s for Sri Vedhavalli Thayaar, Sri Ranganatha
, Sri Rama
, Sri Gajendra Varadharaja Swamy, Narasimha
, Sri Andal
, Sri Anjaneya, Alwars, Ramanuja
, Swami Manavala Mamunigal
and Vedanthachariar. There are separate entrances for Lord Parthasarathy and Lord Narasimha
. The gopuram
(towers) and mandaps
(pillars) are decorated with elaborate carvings, a standard feature of South Indian Temple Architecture
.
Legend has it that the parents of the great SriVaishnava acharya, Sri Ramanuja came to this temple and prayed to the Lord for a son and eventually the great acharya was born. It is also believed that the great saint Sri Ramanuja is none other than the Lord Parthasarathy himself who was born to revive Vishishtadvaita
.
war when he gave the Hindu holy book of Bhagavad Gita
. Hence, the God, Sri Parthasarathy's face is full of scars created by the arrows of the Great Bhishma
in the Kurukshetra war
. Other interesting thing is that, God Krishna is seen with a moustache and without his weapon Chakra
. The reason attributed is that he promised not to take weapons in the Mahabharatha war and hence he has only his conch. As He was the charioteer He sported the moustache keeping with the tradition. The UTSAVAR also has only a stick and not his mace as found with others. This is because the Lord was born in a cowherd clan.
, pulses and rice), Puliyodarai and Thayir sadam
(Rice with yogurt/curd
).The tasty prasadam makes the devotees heart fill with happiness.
sect of Vaishnavite tradition and follows vaikanasa aagama. The temple has grand brahmotsavams for Sri Parthasarathy swami during the Tamil month of chittirai(April-may),on the same month Udayavar uthsavam is also celebrated in special manner.In the month of vaigasi,Sri Varadarajar uthsavam,Sri Nammalwar uthsavam(vaigasi-visagam) and vasanthothsavam are celebrated. Sri Azhagiyasingar during the Tamil month of aani (June–July).There are also grand utsavams for Sri Ramanuja(April-may) and Sri Manavalamamunigal(oct-nov) besides utsavams for Alwar and acharyas. Vaikunta Ekadesi and during the Tamil
month of Margazhi draws lot of pilgrims.
Recently, Sri G. Sampath, a resident of Chennai, published his compositions on the various temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his album Hari Samarpanam, with music directed by Chitravina Ravikiran, featuring various singers. One of those songs is about Sri Parthasarathy and can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SzeoA1_yUY. It glorifies the Lord, who during the various Yugas, performed many amazing feats for the benefit of his bhaktas.
city. Lots of transportation and accommodation facilities are available in vicinity.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, located at Triplicane
Triplicane
Triplicane also has the famous powerful Ellamman temple in SMV Koil street. A beautiful Sundaramurthy Vinayagar temple is right opposite to the Ellamman Temple....
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, India. It is one among the 108 divyadesams or holy abodes of Lord Vishnu. The name 'Parthasarathy', in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, means the 'charioteer of Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
', and Lord Krishna is worshipped in that role in this temple.
It was originally built by the Pallavas in the 8th century by king Narasimhavarman I
Narasimhavarman I
Narasimhavarman I was a Tamil king of the Pallava dynasty who ruled South India from 630–668 CE. He shared his father Mahendravarman I's love of art and completed the work started by Mahendravarman in Mahabalipuram....
. One of the distinguishing features of is that it has four of the incarnations or avatars of Vishnu: Narasimha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...
, Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, Varaha
Varaha
Varaha is the third Avatar of the Hindu Godhead Vishnu, in the form of a Boar. He appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to...
and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
.
The temple is one of the oldest structures in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. There are shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s for Sri Vedhavalli Thayaar, Sri Ranganatha
Ranganatha
Ranganātha , also known as Sri Ranganatha, Ranganathar, or Ranga, is a Hindu deity, more well known in South India. The deity is a resting form of Lord Vishnu, one of the foremost of Hindu Gods. His consort is Goddess Lakshmi, also known as Ranganayaki, Thayar...
, Sri Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, Sri Gajendra Varadharaja Swamy, Narasimha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...
, Sri Andal
Andal
Andal is the the only female Alvar of the 12 Alvar saints of South India, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. She is credited with the great Tamil works of Thirupavai and Nachiar Tirumozhi that are still recited by devotees during the Winter festival season of...
, Sri Anjaneya, Alwars, Ramanuja
Ramanuja
Ramanuja ; traditionally 1017–1137, also known as Ramanujacharya, Ethirajar , Emperumannar, Lakshmana Muni, was a theologian, philosopher, and scriptural exegete...
, Swami Manavala Mamunigal
Manavala Mamunigal
Manavala Mamunigal was a Hindu religious leader, who during the 15th century in Tamil Nadu, with the help of his eight disciples helped spread Vaishnavism...
and Vedanthachariar. There are separate entrances for Lord Parthasarathy and Lord Narasimha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...
. The gopuram
Gopuram
A Gopuram or Gopura, is a monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of any temple, especially in Southern India. This forms a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial...
(towers) and mandaps
Mandapa
A mandapa in Indian architecture is a pillared outdoor hall or pavilion for public rituals.-Temple architecture:...
(pillars) are decorated with elaborate carvings, a standard feature of South Indian Temple Architecture
Dravidian architecture
Dravidian architecture was a style of architecture that emerged thousands of years ago in Southern part of the Indian subcontinent or South India. They consist primarily of pyramid shaped temples called Koils which are dependent on intricate carved stone in order to create a step design consisting...
.
Legend
Lord Venkateswara promised King Sumathi that he would give darshan as Lord Parthasarathy. In order to keep the promise, the Lord Venkateswara appeared as Lord Parthasarathy. Sage Athreya had installed the idol of Lord Parthasarathy Swami.Legend has it that the parents of the great SriVaishnava acharya, Sri Ramanuja came to this temple and prayed to the Lord for a son and eventually the great acharya was born. It is also believed that the great saint Sri Ramanuja is none other than the Lord Parthasarathy himself who was born to revive Vishishtadvaita
Vishishtadvaita
Vishishtadvaita Vedanta is a sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy, the other major sub-schools of Vedānta being Advaita, Dvaita, and Achintya-Bheda-Abheda. VishishtAdvaita is a non-dualistic school of Vedanta philosophy...
.
Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Mahatmyam
According to Hindu Puranas, Lord Krishna was the charioteer for Arjuna during the MahabharataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
war when he gave the Hindu holy book of Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
. Hence, the God, Sri Parthasarathy's face is full of scars created by the arrows of the Great Bhishma
Bhishma
Bhishma or Bheeshma or Devavrata or 'Bhishma Pitamah' was the eighth son of Kuru King Shantanu who was blessed with wish-long life and had sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king. He was one of the most prominent characters of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He was the grand uncle of both the...
in the Kurukshetra war
Kurukshetra war
According to the Indian epic poem Mahābhārata, a dynastic succession struggle between two groups of cousins of an Indo-Aryan kingdom called Kuru, the Kauravas and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura resulted in the Kurukshetra War in which a number of ancient kingdoms participated as allies of...
. Other interesting thing is that, God Krishna is seen with a moustache and without his weapon Chakra
Chakra
Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
. The reason attributed is that he promised not to take weapons in the Mahabharatha war and hence he has only his conch. As He was the charioteer He sported the moustache keeping with the tradition. The UTSAVAR also has only a stick and not his mace as found with others. This is because the Lord was born in a cowherd clan.
Prasadam
On most days, devotees are treated to prasadam (offerings to God) consisting of Chakra pongal (A sweet South Indian delicacy made with jaggeryJaggery
Jaggery is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal whole cane sugar consumed in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is a concentrated product of cane juice without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color...
, pulses and rice), Puliyodarai and Thayir sadam
Thayir sadam
Curd rice also called yogurt rice is a dish of India. The word "curd" as used in India usually refers to a liquidy, sour, unsweetened yoghurt. It is most popular in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu...
(Rice with yogurt/curd
Curd
Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then draining off the liquid portion. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins to tangle into solid masses, or curds. The remaining liquid, which contains only...
).The tasty prasadam makes the devotees heart fill with happiness.
Darshan, Sevas and Festivals
The temple follows the traditions of the ThenkalaiThenkalai
Thenkalai are a subsect of the Vaishnavite Iyengar community of Hindu Brahmins. Thenkalais are followers of Ramanuja, Pillai Lokacharya and Manavala Mamuni.-Differences with Vadakalai Srivaishnavas:...
sect of Vaishnavite tradition and follows vaikanasa aagama. The temple has grand brahmotsavams for Sri Parthasarathy swami during the Tamil month of chittirai(April-may),on the same month Udayavar uthsavam is also celebrated in special manner.In the month of vaigasi,Sri Varadarajar uthsavam,Sri Nammalwar uthsavam(vaigasi-visagam) and vasanthothsavam are celebrated. Sri Azhagiyasingar during the Tamil month of aani (June–July).There are also grand utsavams for Sri Ramanuja(April-may) and Sri Manavalamamunigal(oct-nov) besides utsavams for Alwar and acharyas. Vaikunta Ekadesi and during the Tamil
Tamil calendar
The Tamil calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Tamil Nadu. It is also used in Pondicherry , and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. It is also used by Telugu speaking people in Tamil Nadu...
month of Margazhi draws lot of pilgrims.
Composers
Among the 12 alwars (the great saints in Vaishnavite tradition) three of them namely Peyalwar, Thirumazhisai alwar and Thirumangaialwar have sung on the different forms of God in this temple. Many acharyas have also written songs on the various forms of God in this Temple.Recently, Sri G. Sampath, a resident of Chennai, published his compositions on the various temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his album Hari Samarpanam, with music directed by Chitravina Ravikiran, featuring various singers. One of those songs is about Sri Parthasarathy and can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SzeoA1_yUY. It glorifies the Lord, who during the various Yugas, performed many amazing feats for the benefit of his bhaktas.
Travel and Stay
It is in the heart of ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
city. Lots of transportation and accommodation facilities are available in vicinity.