Parthasarathy Temple is a famous 8th-century Vaishnavite temple at Triplicane (Tiruvallikeni), close to Marina Beach in Chennai. Parthasarathy Temple is the oldest temple in Chennai. Parthasarathy Temple is dedicated to Lord Parthasarathy (Lord Krishna), the charioteer of Arjuna (Arjuna’s mother was the sister of Krishna’s father), in the Great Hindu epic Mahabaratha. There are five incarnations (i.e., Krishna, Narasimha, Ranganathar, Ramar, and Varadaraja) of Lord Vishnu in Parthasarathy Temple, Triplicane.

The Proper name of Parthasarathy Temple at Triplicane, Chennai, is “Parthasarathy Swamy Thirukoil”. This temple is also known by other names like “Sri Parthasarathy Perumal”, “Thiruallikeni Thiru Parthasarathy Kovil”, etc. There are 2 “Gopurams” for this temple: one on the Eastern side and one on the Western side. The Eastern side of the Gopuram entrance of the Triplicane Parthasarathy Swamy Thirukoil is on Beach Road. The Great Pallava King, Narasimhavarman I, in the 8th century A.D., originally built the Triplicane Parthasarathy Temple. The temple was expanded by the Chola Kings later and then by the Vijayanagara kings. The medieval 4000 verse Tamil language literature, “Nalayira Divya Prabandham “, composed around the 6th-8th centuries and compiled in its present form by Nathamuni during the 9th–10th centuries, talks of this temple. The temple still recites these 4000 hymns of the Azhwars, the tradition preserved by generations in this temple.

The temple inscriptions in Tamil and Telugu languages date back to the 8th century. One such inscription is about the Pallava king, Nandivarman. Some other inscriptions date back to the Chola period. These stone inscriptions at Parthasarathy Temple talk of the contributions made by the Great Chola kings Raja Raja Chola and Kulottunga III, Pandya King Maravarman alias Tribuvana Chakravarthi Kulasekhara Deva and Vijayanagar Kings Ramaraja Venkatapathi Raja and Vira Venkatapathy Maharaja, etc.

The “Gopurams” (dome at the entrance) and the “Mandapas” (pillars) are famous for their excellent carvings.

Note: There is another famous Parthasarathy temple at Aranmula, Kerala.

How Do I Go to Parthasarathy Temple, Triplicane?

Parthasarathy Temple, Triplicane, is at the heart of Chennai, very close to Marina Beach. “Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station” and “Chennai Egmore” railway stations are two nearby major railway stations with trains to outstation cities of India. Chennai is well connected to other parts of south India by buses from C.M.B.T. Bus terminus (Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus). Chennai International Airport is the nearest airport to the Parthasarathy temple at Triplicane.

Chennai Triplicane railway station on the MRTS suburban railway line connects this temple with other parts of the city.