Description : This Dhivya Desam is located at Thiruvallur, a railhead on the (suburban) railroad between Chennai and Arakkonam. Nearby are the Thiruppaasoor and the Thiruvaalankaadu Shivastalams and Thirumazhisai, the birthplace of Thirumazhisai Azhwar.  Not too far away is Sriperumpudoor the birthplace of Ramanuja. Thiruvallur and Thiruttani are on the highway linking Chennai and Thirupathi.

Thirumangai Azhwar and Ramalinga Adigalaar have sung in praise of the deity at Thiruvallur. Thiruvallur   is also referred to by a paasuram of Thirumazhisai Azhwar where he addresses seven shrines featuring Perumaal in a reclining position - Thirukkudandai, Thiruvegkaa, Thiruvallur, Thiruvarangam, Thiruppernagar, Anbil and Thirupparkadal.

Deities: The Moolavar here is Veeraraghava Perumaal in a reclining posture facing east, and Thaayaar here is Kanakavalli, enshrined in a separate sanctum.

Legend has it that Perumaal blessed Salihotra Munivar and revealed the Vedas to Bhrama here. The name Thiruevvull comes from Perumaal's question (in Tamil) to Salihotra Muni 'Uraidarkuria Ull Evvull'. Legend has it that Perumaal in the guise of a human, requested the rishi for food and shelter, and posed the above question to the Rishi. Upon being pointed to his hut, Perumaal spent the night there, covering himself with the bark of trees. It was only the following morning that the rishi realized that his guest was none other than Perumaal.

Legend also has it that Perumaal  vanquished the demons Madhukaidapas, and protected devotees here. The Vijayakoti vimaanam is named after this victory over demons.

Legend also has it that Shiva was relieved of the Bhrahmahatti dosham of killing Daksha  upon visiting this shrine (see also Thirukkandiyur). There is a shrine to Shiva on the banks of the temple tank.

It is believed that bathing in the temple tank, and worshipping Veeraraghavaperumaal with symbolic offerings of salt and pepper here, is a cure to many a physical ailment, and hence the deity is also known as Vaidya Veeraraghava Perumal. It is also believed that barren couples beget progeny upon worshipping here.

The Temple: This temple is under the administration of the Ahobila Mutt. It is an east facing temple with a 5 tiered rajagopuram. There are also shrines to Ganesha, Gopalan, NammAzhwar, Vedantha Desikar, Aandaal, Ramanujacharyar, Lakshmi Narasimha. There are inscriptions dating back to the 2nd half of the 9th century Pallava period here.

Five worship services are carried out each day here. It is considered auspicious to visit this temple on new moon days. Fridays are marked by a procession of the processional image of Thaayaar to the Vellikkizhamai mandapam. Two annual festivals are held here.

Thiruvallikkeni

Description : This Dhivya Desam is located in Thiruvallikkeni ( 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 Thirumayilai. The rapid transport system (railway line) running along the coast of Chennai, bears the ancient name Thiruvallikkeni, on the railway station closest to this ancient temple. The alli flowers in the temple tank lend the name Allikkeni. Thiruvallikkeni is one of the well visited Dhivya Desams, and is a well known landmark in the Chennai meteropolis. The other important (ancient) temples in and around Chennai are the Thiruvanmyur and the Thiruvotriyur 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 Dhivya 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 Thirumaal Nachiyaar, adorning the chest of Venkatakrishnar is a rare work of art. It is believed that Venkateswara of Thirupathi manifested himself as Parthasarathy here, and hence the name Venkatakrishnan. This shrine is considered equivalent to Thirupathi, and Saturdays in the month of Purattasi are considered sacred here.