The Parthasarathy Temple is one of the oldest architectural structures in Chennai. Originally built in the 8th century CE by the Pallava ruler Narasimhavarman I, it was later on extended and renovated by the Vijayanagara kings in around the 15th century. There are inscriptions inside the temple that talk about the contributions of both the dynasties. The temple is also mentioned with much glorification in the Divya Prabandha, and the ancient Tamil canon works on Vaishnavism. These were written by the Alwar saints between the 6th and 9th century. It is said that earlier in the days, the pilgrims coming down from the legendary Tirupati temple to take a bath in the sea on the days of Solar or Lunar eclipse used to break journey here and rest.