| Description This Divya
Desam is located in Tiruvallikkeni ( Triplicane) in Chennai ; the
temple and its tank stand as a standing illustration of the co-existence of the present
and the past in the modern meteropolis of Chennai, as in Tirumayilai. The rapid transport system (railway line) running
along the coast of Chennai, bears the ancient name Tiruvallikkeni, on the railway station
closest to this ancient temple. The alli flowers in the temple tank lend the name
Allikkeni. Tiruvallikkeni is one of the well visited Divya Desams, and is a well known
landmark in the Chennai meteropolis. The other important (ancient) temples in and around
Chennai are the Tiruvanmyur and the
Tiruvotriyur Shivastalams. Deities:
There are five shrines here. The primary sanctum enshrines Venkatakrishnan with Rukmini,
Balaraman, Satyaki, Anirudha, Pradyumna - in a standing posture facing east. The Utsavar
here is Parthasarathy. Scars from arrows sent from Bheeshma's bow, borne by Krishna, are
seen on the image of Krishna. There is a shrine to Ranganathar in a reclining posture; his
consort is Vedavalli, in a separate sanctum. There is a shrine to Rama in a standing
posture, flanked by Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrugna and Hanuman facing east. There is
also a shrine to Varadarajan in a seated posture on the Garuda mount facing east. There is
also a shrine to Narasimhar in a seated posture facing west. Apart from these, there is a
separate shrine for Andal. This is the only shrine among the 108 Divya Desams, where
Krishna is seen enshrined with images of his family.
The temple: Inscriptions from the 8th century Pallavas (Tondaiman
Chakravarti) are seen in this temple. The Vijayanagar rulers have made endowments here.
The temple covers an area of about 1.5 acres, and has two prakarams and a five tiered
rajagopuram visible from a distance. The gold image of Tirumaal Nachiyaar, adorning the
chest of Venkatakrishnar is a rare work of art. It is believed that Venkateswara of Tirupati manifested himself as
Parthasarathy here, and hence the name Venkatakrishnan. This shrine is considered
equivalent to Tirupati, and Saturdays in the month of Purattasi are considered sacred
here.
Festivals: As in Tirupati, Tirumanjanam is performed on Fridays to
Venkatakrishnan. Moolam asterism in the month of Aippasi is considered sacred. The annual
Bhrammotsavam is celebrated in the month of Chittirai. The glass palanquin here is of
great beauty. Vaikuntha Ekadasi celebrated in Margazhi draws a large number of pilgrims. .
Vaikuntha ekadasi is celebrated for 20 days, while the Bhramotsavam is celebrated for 10
days. The float festival is held in the month of Maasi. |
