CHENNAI : Kanchipuraram, the town of temples, has as many as fourteen Divya Desams (places sacred to Vishnu, praised by the Azhvars or important devotees of this deity). There are many other Vishnu temples in this hoary place, which are not Divya Desams.
The Pacchaivanna Perumal (Pacchaivannar) temple is one such shrine which is not a Divya Desam but is always spoken of together with the Pavazhavanna Perumal temple which has been praised in the Tamil verses (Pasurams) of Thirumangai Azhvar and is hence a Divya Desam. Most people who go to the Pavazhavanna Perumal temple also visit the Pacchaivanna temple which is close by. It is said that the deity is thus named as he gave darshan in an emerald green hue to Sage Marichi. In Tamil ‘pacchai’ is ‘green’.
The main entrance and the principal sanctum of this temple, which is very small in size, face east. The main deity is Pacchaivanna Perumal, who is in a standing posture facing east. He holds the sankha and chakra in his upper hands while the lower right hand is in abhaya (blessing) hasta and lower left hand rests on his thigh (uru hasta).
The ustava murti is a standing four-armed Vishnu with His two consorts, Sridevi (Goddess Lakshmi) and Bhudevi (Goddess of the Earth) and is worshipped by the names Pacchaivannan and Maragathavannan as ‘maragatha’ in Samskrit is ‘green’.
To reach the main sanctum, devotees have to go through a mandapa, the entrance of which is from the south side. In this mandapa, facing the main deity is a small sanctum for Garuda. Adjacent to it is the hall of mirrors (kannadi arai in Tamil), a sanctum for Andal and another with the images of the Azhvars and Srivaishnava Acharyas. Enshrined in a separate sanctum facing east is Goddess Lakshmi, worshipped in this temple as Maragathavalli Thayar.