Parthasarathy Temple in Chennai is truly outstanding among the legions of temples in South India with its striking features. The Parthasarathy Temple dates back to the 8th c. It was originally built by the Pallavas and later reformed by the Vijayanagar Kings during 11th century.
About Parthasarathy Temple :
The Parthasarathy Temple of Chennai is an ancient temple built in the Dravidian style of architecture. Located in the heart of the city on Peter’s Road, Parthasarathy Temple was built in the 8th century by Kings of the Pallava dynasty.The coloured gopuram is one of the exquisite features of Parthasarathy Temple. The main shrine is dedicated to Lord Krishna, who is in a standing posture facing east, along with Rukmini, Balaraman, Satyaki, Anirudha and Pradyumna.
Features Parthasarathi Temple :
– The literal meaning of ‘Parthasarathy’ is the charioteer. According to the great Indian epic ‘Mahabharata’, ‘Partha’ meant Arjuna while ‘Sarathy’ is the charioteer. The epic has it that during the great battle of Mahabharata, Lord Krishna was the charioteer of Arjuna. Arjuna or Partha was a brave warrior and Lord Krishna was the legendary friend, philosopher and guide to Arjuna.
– The main deity of the temple is ‘Lord Krishna’, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
– There is the colored rising tower at the entrance of the temple among the other exquisite feature of this Parthasarathy temple.
– The main shrine is for Venkatakrishnan with Rukmini, Balaraman, Satyaki, Anirudha and Pradyumna – in a standing posture facing the east.
– There are shrines for Ranganathar in a lean-back position with a separate sanctum for his consort Vedavalli.
– There are shrines facing the east for Rama along with Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrugna, Hanuman, Varadarajan seated on the Garuda and Narasimhar in a seated posture.
– There is also a separate shrine for Andal.
– The annual Bhrammotsavam festival is celebrated in the month of Chittirai. Vaikuntha Ekadasi is celebrated in Margazhi and it is one of the important festivals.
– The float festival is held in the month of Feb-Mar.
Festivals Parthasarathi Temple :
Parthasarathi Laksharchana (chanting the names of Lord one lakh times) 10 days in February draws a huge crowd. Brahmmotsavam 10 days in April, Vaikunta Ekadasi in December-January are the important festivals in the temple. Almost every day is a festival day.Sri Ramanuja, the founder of Vaishnava School of thought, Peyazhwar, Thirumangai Azhwar, Thirumazhisai Azhwar have praised the Lord in their hymns.
Speciality:
The Lord is in a standing pose facing east holding his divine conch Panchajanya in the right hand and the left showing his feet known as Gnana Mudra. He is the teacher of the celebrated Bhagwat Gita; The Lord is 9 feet tall with a long moustache of a soldier driving the chariot of Arjuna. There are war scars on the face. The presiding deity was given to Rishi Athreya by Bagwan Vyasa for installation in the temple.
Groundnut oil and chillies are not used in the preparations offered to the Lord as Nivedhana. The place was once a forest of Tulsi plants. The temple is more than 2000 years old. Pallavas and Chola Kings contributed greatly for the renovation of the temple from time to time.
History:
King Sumathi wanted to see Lord Venkatesa in Tirupathy in the form of Lord Krishna. To please his devotee, the Lord appeared in this shrine as Parthasarathy,. As per his promise, the Lord holds no weapon in his hand but only his conch Panchajanya. He was the charioteer for Arjuna in the Mahabharatha war and absorbed the arrows of Bishma targeting Arujuna These scars are still visible in the face of the Lord.
Diviness of the Temple :
The Moolavar of this sthalam is Venkata Krishnan. Along with Rukmani Piratiyar, he holds sword in one hand, Varadha Muthirai on the other hand and his brother Balaraman on his right, Sathaki on his left, son Prathyumnan, Grand son Aniruthan are also found near the Moolavar. This is one of the Sthalam where the Perumal shows his seva along with his three generations. He is found in standing [Nindra thirukkolam] position and facing his Thirumugham towards East direction.
Pooja Types And Tariff :
Poojas listed here are applicable for this temple only.The tariff shown are not actual cost payable to the temple. It includes our service charge, cost of pooja items and Delivery charges.
How to Reach Parthasarathy Temple in Chennai :
By Air : The Kamaraj Domestic Airport and the Anna International Airport are located at Tirusulam at a distance of 20 km from the city.
By Rail : Chennai is also well connected to all the major cities in India through a wide network of railways. The rail service connects to all the main cities of the neighboring state and the country.
By Road : The excellent road network of Chennai makes it easily accessible from other important cities of Tamil Nadu and the neighboring states.