Parthasarathy Temple, Thiruvallikeni (Triplicane) - Lord Krishna

If Kapaleeswarar temple is for Savisim, then this Parthasarathy temple is relatively significant for Vaishnavism. The temple is dedicated to lord Krishna, one of the incarnations of lord Vishnu. As per Brahmanda purana, King Sumathy appealed to lord Balaji of Tirupati to give him darshan as the Charioteer of Arjuna in Mahabharata war. Lord turned up in his dreams and directed him to do meditation in ‘Brindharanya’, which is the present day Thiruvallikeni. In this way, the Parthasarathy swamy was revealed in the same look that the king requested. From that date, it is a practice for the pilgrims to worship this temple after paying a visit to Tirupati temple. Though originally built by the Pallavas in the 8th century, the temple was subsequently expanded by Cholas and Vijayanagar emperors till the 15th century.

Due to the cultural mix of these kingdoms, the temple has several inscriptions in Tamil and Telugu languages. The temple earned its structure by the endowments from the public too. The temple got greater prominence during the Chola era with more expansions and maintenance. The interesting fact is that the main deity here has scars in his face made by the great bolts of the opponents in Mahabharata war. Another intriguing thing is that God Krishna is seen with a mustache and without any weapon. The reason for that position is that in the war, he was the charioteer for king Arjuna of Pandavas and he promised not to indulge during war. It is the only temple, where the lord stands in that way. With its location close to the coast, the visit to this temple is pleasant for sure, especially in the evenings.