Thiruvallikeni

The Parthasarathy temple at Thiruvallikeni (Triplicane) in Chennai is the city's most prominent Divya Desam and one of the most visited Vishnu temples in South India. The presiding deity is Parthasarathy — Krishna as Arjuna's charioteer in the Mahabharata — depicted with the unique iconography of the battle-scars from Mahabharata weapons visible on the murti, making this one of very few Vishnu temples where the deity shows war wounds. Within the same complex, five different forms of Vishnu are worshipped: Parthasarathy, Narasimha, Rama, Gajendra Varada, and Rukmini Satyabhama Sametha Krishna. Thirumangai Alvar is the primary Alvar to sing Mangalasasanam here. The eight-tiered gopuram rising above the Triplicane neighbourhood is a Chennai landmark. The Brahmotsavam and Krishna Jayanti are major festivals drawing large crowds from across the city.

The Puranic origin myth holds that Vishnu appeared here to Brahma and Shiva and was worshipped by them alongside the sage Atri. The name Thiruvallikeni — the sacred lily pond — describes the tank of white kanni lilies that once perfumed the entire area. The Parthasarathy form specifically commemorates Krishna's role as Arjuna's charioteer, and the battle-scars on the deity are said to be from the arrows of Bhishma, earned while steering Arjuna's chariot in the field of Kurukshetra.