Thiruparkadal

Travel for 43 km from Vellore to reach Thiruparkadal. The place is adjoined by the Vegavathi River and houses the two important twin temples of the state, namely, Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal temple and Athi Ranganatha temple. The temple is regarded as Trimurthi Kshetram, as Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple worships Shiva and Vishnu and the Ranganatha Swamy Temple worships Vishnu and Brahma. The Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal temple’s presiding deity is Lord Venkateswara. The deity can be seen standing on an Aavudaiyar, which later forms part of the Sivalinga. It is among the rare temples that hold such a unique combination of two gods. The primary construction of the temple is still not known but Vijayanagara kings got the temple renovated. The temple also worships Alamelu Mangai, Anjaneya, Garuda, Rukmini, Sathyabhama. The temple holds many religious stories behind its existence, you can hear some on being here. The other temple that sits nearby is Sri Ranganatha Temple. Here, one can see Lord Vishnu with lord Brahma on his naabikamalam. The idol of Lord Vishnu is around 6 feet long along with by his consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi and lord Brahma seating over the lotus flower rising from the Lord’s navel. The temple too holds various religious stories behind worshipping this form of god. Festivals- The temple sees grand gathering during Vaikunta Ekadasi when special pujas are performed and the deity is decorated beautifully all with flowers.