Unique Divya Desam

Among the 106 Divya Desams on Earth, the other two being the Celestial Ocean – Parkadal and the Lord’s eternal abode, Sri Vaikuntam, Sri Parthasarathy Temple at Triplicane (Chennai) has a few unique features, which I would like to mention here.

The main deity is Lord Sri Parthasarathy facing the sea in the East. Lord Krishna, in his 9^thAvatar came to the Earth to protect Dharma (righteousness). 

When it was decided that the Kauravas will wage war against the Pandavas who were denied their rightful share of running the country, Kaurava King Duryodhana (son of Drithirashtra) went to Lord Krishna to seek his support. Around the same time, Pandava King Dharmaraja (Yudhishtra) also came to visit the Lord. Duryodhana admonished Dharma and said he was the elder brother between the two and also the ruling king so he would first ask what he wants from Lord Krishna. Also, he sat near the head of Lord Krishna as He was sleeping. When Krishna woke up, he first saw Dharma and enquired about him, which further irked Duryodhana and told Krishna that he came before Dharma and he must be allowed first to ask what he wanted for the War, which Krishna smilingly obliged. Duryodhana asked Krishna all the ammunition that ever existed, horses, elephants, swords et al which Krishna agreed to give away to him. Duryodhana laughed wickedly at Dharma and left the place. 

Krishna asked Dharma that he had nothing to part anymore to which Dharma said that he just needed the Lord to be with them in the War. The Utsavar Idol at Sri Parthasarathy Temple which has been around for centuries depict the arrow marks and injuries on the Lord’s face which can be seen till date at the temple. And thus, we know who won the war & how. This conversation has a larger life meaning. Even though we may have everything in life, money, material wealth, houses, cars, clothes and what not, ultimately, we all need His Grace and that’s what matters at the end of the day. 

At this temple, Sri Parthasarathy is in standing form and within the main prakaram (Sannidhi), one can also see Lord Rama and Sri Ranganatha in reclining form. Just outside this sannidhi, is another deity in the form of Sri Varadaraja Swamy, atop his celestial vahana, the Garuda (the celestial Eagle). The Lord here is also known as “Nitya Garuda Perumal” – always on Garuda Vahana ready for his ardent devotees. Adjoining this Sannidhi is Lord Sri Narasimha in Yoga form known as “Yoga Narasimha”. 

Also, this is one of the very few temples where Lord Sri Rama is with all his three brothers Lakshmana, Bharatha and Satrugna and Goddess Sita Devi by his side. Lord Hanuman who is usually by His side, is facing the Lord about 15 feet away, another rarity across Sri Rama Temples or Divya Desams. One can also find the Dashavatara forms of Sriman Narayana on the Pillars behind the main Sannidhi. Needless, this is what we see and observe when we visit the temple. Perhaps there are many other gems that could be unearthed every time we visit.

Lord Narasimha is from the Krita Yuga, Lord Rama is from Tretha Yuga and Lord Parthasarathy is from Dwapara Yuga as Krishna Avatara. Sri Ranganatha in the reclining form is the way the Lord Resides at Sri Vaikuntam and Lord Varadaraja is the way the Lord comes to his devotee’s rescue. Fascinating indeed – this is perhaps the only Divya Desam where the Lord can be seen on all forms in which He has appeared across Yugas and at his celestial abode. 

Sri Parthasarathy Temple

Mahabharatha, the epic is not just another story. Some call it a myth, some a work of fiction. Rather, it is a guide to the human race on how to lead a life to eventually reach the Lord’s feet and enable us to attain Moksha. Sriman Narayana took his 9^thincarnation in the previous Dwapara Yuga as Krishna and His life is a very interesting story, right from his birth on the supposedly inauspicious Ashtami night all the way up to the Epic War – Maha Bharatha. The Lord gives us various life learnings in this incarnation and they are valuable to everything we do in our daily lives. 

When it was decided that the Kauravas, who had kept the Pandavas away from taking over the Kingdom and were even forced to live in hiding for a year, both the teams reached out to Lord Krishna for support and help them win respectively. Duryodhana, the Kaurava King wanted all weapons, manpower, animals like horses, elephants and so on and all resources that were available to which the Lord obliged. Dharmaraja, the eldest of the Padavas sought Him to be by their side to which the Lord smiled. The essence of this, is that no matter what we have in our lives, we finally need the guidance and blessings of the Lord with us always. 

In the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas, Lord Krishna plays charioteer and thus the name Partha Sarathy, Sarathy meaning the one who drives. There are various interpretations to the epic war, such the two who fight are within us who are Parthas, the bad and the good, while The Lord resides in our hearts and guides us in our every step. HE suggests a way of living, acts as a guide when we make mistakes and advises steps to recoup our mistakes. 

Bhagavad Gita which evolved from the Mahabharatha, is the best book one could ever lay their hands on. It has so many anecdotes, so many real-life situations and experts have always agreed there is no better resource to clarify our doubts than the Gita. I have read many parts of the Mahabharatha across various books and articles and have also heard a number of discourses by scholars. Every time I hear the Mahabharatha, I discover a new thing about life and take a leaf out of the book, quite literally. 

Summary of the Gita

The Lord says, “what is yours today was someone else’s yesterday, will be someone else’s tomorrow” and “you brought nothing, you take back nothing” among various other things.

Legend

It is said that Lord Krishna, after the Epic war was over performed Pattabhisheka – ordained Dhramaraja as the King and came to this location where He blesses his ardent devotees. The 10 feet idol of Lord Krishna has a mostache, a rarity for Sriman Mahavishnu, and faces East. 

The temple also has separate precincts for Sri Yoga Narasimha facing West, Sri Nitya Varadaraja Perumal, Goddess Mahalakshmi and Goddess Aandal. It is said that the Utsavar idol has marks of the arrows that were aimed at the Lord during the Epic war. 

Among the 106 Divya Desam temples on Earth, Tiruvallikeni Sri Parthasarathy is the presiding deity of the city of Chennai (formerly Madras). Various Kings are said to have maintained the temple and have contributed immensely for the upkeep of the temple over centuries. 

Main Festivals;

Sri Krishna Jayanthi - Tamil Month - …………. English Calendar Year - ………….

Temple Timings: 

6am to 12.30pm; 4.30pm – 8.30pm

Google Link

How to reach: 

Railhead: 

Chennai Central Railway Station (7 kms)

Chennai Egmore Railway Station (7 kms)

Tambaram Railway Station (27 kms)

Bus Stand: 

Koyambedu Bus Station (15 kms)

Airport: 

Chennai Airport (16 kms)

By Road:

The Temple is situated in the heart of the city at Triplicane. City buses are available to reach the place, so are Autos & Taxis. There is limited parking for self-driven cars and is almost impossible to get one during the peak hours and weekends. Also, the roads leading to the temple are quite narrow.

The Marina Beach is less than 2 kms from the temple. There is a huge Temple tank on the eastern side of the temple where Teppotsavam is held from time to time. 

Welcome Post

Welcome to my weblog on Temples - Gopurams & More.

It's been a long pending task for me to share the temples I visit - something many of my friends, family and acquaintances have asked me to share. It's quite an effort to chronicle the visits than driving to the temples - but I assure to get this up and running from now on. 

Do share your wish list of temples' information that you may need and I will do my best.

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