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Parasurama Avathar
In PARASURAMA Avatar, Lord Vishnu incarnates himself as a brahmana(priest) in this world. He was brought in this world to avenge all kshatriyas who had become arrogant and were suppressing the brahmans in the world. He was born to Jamadagni and Renuka, and belonged to the Brighu clan. Parashurama was always carrying an axe presented to him by Lord Shiva of whom he was an ardent devotee. Kartavirya a powerful king, once went to Jamadagni's home when he was out, and after a meal, stole the Kamadhenu cow, which was supposed to give endless quantity of milk. Jamadgni was enraged and he went and killed the king and brought Kamadhenu back. On hearing this the son of the king came back and killed Jamdagni. Parasurama was enraged at this and went and avenged the death of his father by killing all kshatriyas in 21 battles. His story is story of the supremacy of brahmans over the kshatriyas.
2.
Parashurama Bhargava (Sanskrit: परशुराम भार्गव) or Parasurama (Axe-wielding Rama) is the Sixth avatar of Vishnu, belongs to the Treta yuga, and is the son of Jamadagni & Renuka. Parashu means axe, hence his name literally means Rama-with-the-axe. He received anaxe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of warfare and other skills. He is a Chiranjeevin, who fought the advancing ocean back thus saving the lands of Konkan and Malabar (Maharashtra - Karnataka - Kerala coastline). The coastal area of Kerala state along with Konkan region ,i.e. coastal maharashtra and Karnataka.,in India is known as Parashurama Kshetra (Parashurama's area). Some dispute this and say it extends all the way to Mumbai in Maharashtra. Parashurama is said to be a "Brahma-Kshatriya" (of the duty between a Brahmana and a Kshatriya) and a descendant of the Kshatriya Vishvamitra. 
Parashurama on the bottom-left corner The purpose of the sixth incarnation of Vishnu is considered by religious scholars to be to relieve the earth's burden by exterminating the sinful, destructive and irreligious monarchs that pillaged its resources, and neglected their duties as kings. Parashurama is of a martial Shraman ascetic. However, unlike all other avatars, Parashurama still lives on earth even today. Secondly, he is anAvesha Avatara a secondary type of Avatara. In such an Avatara,Vishnu does not directly descend such as that of Rama or Krishna but instead enters the soul of a man with His form. Accordingly, unlike Rama and Krishna, Parashurama is not worshipped. But inSouth India, at the holy placePajaka, there exists one major temple commemorating Parashurama. Parshurama, the creator of the Konkan coast, is also worshipped in a temple at Lote Parshurama in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district. The people of the Konkan call their land 'Parshurama Bhoomi' or the land of Parshurama in accordance with the legend that the sage reclaimed the land from the sea.
Ganapati in the avatar of Parshuram Ganapati is popularly worshipped in numerous avataras (4) including that of Sage Parshurama.
2.
Parashurama Bhargava (Sanskrit: परशुराम भार्गव) or Parasurama (Axe-wielding Rama) is the Sixth avatar of Vishnu, belongs to the Treta yuga, and is the son of Jamadagni & Renuka. Parashu means axe, hence his name literally means Rama-with-the-axe. He received anaxe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of warfare and other skills. He is a Chiranjeevin, who fought the advancing ocean back thus saving the lands of Konkan and Malabar (Maharashtra - Karnataka - Kerala coastline). The coastal area of Kerala state along with Konkan region ,i.e. coastal maharashtra and Karnataka.,in India is known as Parashurama Kshetra (Parashurama's area). Some dispute this and say it extends all the way to Mumbai in Maharashtra. Parashurama is said to be a "Brahma-Kshatriya" (of the duty between a Brahmana and a Kshatriya) and a descendant of the Kshatriya Vishvamitra.
The Killing of Jamadagni
KingKartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna) and his army visited Jamadagni, a Brahmin Surabhi; the king demanded the magical cow. Jamadagni refused because he needed the cow for his religious ceremonies. King Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna) sent his soldiers to take the cow, and Parashurama killed the entire army and the king with his axe. In return, the princes beheaded Jamadagni. There is another, predominant version of the story that the army was actually killed by an army generated from the cow. In return, the king killed the sage Jamadagni. sage, who fed his guest and the whole army with his divine cowHaihaya-Kshatriya Background
It appears as if the Haihayas were enemies and at war with several groups, including other Kshtriyas themselves. For example the Haihayas sackedKashi during the reigns of King Haryaswa and King Sudeva (whom they killed), King Divodas and his son Pratarddana (who finally expelled them outside of the Vatsa Kingdom. All these kings were born in the Kingdom of the Ishvaku, a solar clan and the Haihayas were a lunar clan. The hostile Haihaya King Arjuna Kartavirya also defeated the Naga Kshatiryas, defeated Karkotaka Naga and made Mahishmati (present day Maheswar)the capital of his own kingdom. All the five Haihaya clans called themselves together as Talajangha (Vishnu Purana IV.11). According to numerous Puranas, the military corporations of the Shakas, Yavanas, Kambojas,Pahlavas and Paradas, known as fivehordes (pānca-ganah), had militarily supported the Haihaya and TalajungaKshatriyas in depriving Ishwvaku King Bahu (the 7th king in descent from Harishchandra), of his Ayodhya kingdom. A generation later, Bahu's son, Sagara recaptured Ayodhya after totally destroying the Haihaya and Talajangha Kshatriyas in the battle. Story goes that King Sagara had punished these foreign hordes by changing their hair-styles and turning them into degraded Kshatriyas.[1]Extermination of the Haihaya-kshatriya caste
The enmity between theHaihaya and the Bhargavas are mentioned in the Mahabaratha Hindu text numerous times. In theSrimad Bhagavatham SB 9.8.5-6, the Haihaya are mentioned as "the uncivilized."[2] Once, when Parashurama returned home, he found his mother crying hysterically. When asked why she was crying, she beat her chest 21 times. In a rage, Parashurama vowed to exterminate the world's Haihaya-Kshatriyas 21 times. He killed the entire clan of Kartavirya Arjuna (or Sahasrarjuna), thus conquering the entire earth. He offered his dead father's soultarpana with the blood of the kings and warriors he slew. He then conducted the Ashvamedha sacrifice, done only by sovereign kings, and gave the entire land he owned to the priests who performed at the yagya, viz. Kashyapa. Parashurama then became responsible for killing the world's corrupted Haihaya kings and warriors who came to attack him in revenge for the killing of Kartavirya Arjuna, to prevent aBrahmin from being emperor and threatening their position. The Ashvamedha demanded that the kings either submit to Parashurama's imperial position or thwart the sacrifice by defeating him in battle. They did neither and were killed. Parashurama exterminated the world's Haihaya-Kshatriyas 21 times, thus fulfilling his vow. Parashurama had a very famous incident with Lord Rama's father during one of those raids on the Haihaya-kshatriya clans. When Parashurama had visited Ayodhya to annhilate Dasharatha[citation needed], then the latter had actually prepared for a certain death, knowing that Parashurama had the blessing of the almighty and also that it is not honourable for a kshatriya to show his back to a challenger. But at that time the king had no progeny. So his queens refused to let him go to the battlefield and disguised him as a woman. Irritated after a long wait, Parashurama searched everywhere in the king's palace, then entered the queen's quarters (antahpuram). There he found the king in women's garments. Parashurama discarded Dasharatha from a challenge saying that the latter had himself proved lacking of virility! This tale is often told to youngsters that it is often better to face an insult instead of facing a certain death.Legends
It is said that when Parashurama created Kerala settled Kerala from the retreat of the sea, that was the beginning of the Kollam Era (AD 825) (possibly named after the city Kollam)for the Malayalam Calendar.[3] According to one legend, Parashurama also went to visit Shiva once but the way was blocked by Ganesha. Parashurama threw the axe at him and Ganesha, knowing it had been given to him by Shiva, allowed it to cut off one of histusks. There is an interesting aside to Parashurama's conquest of Kshatriyas. After one his conquests, he returns to Aihole (Badami Taluka, Bagalkot district in Karntaka) which, some say was where he lived. Those who know Aihole would know that the river Malaprabha does a near 180 degree turn there. While Parashurama washed his blood soaked axe upriver, beyond the bend, there were village belles washing clothes downriver. The axe was so bloody that it turned the entire river red. This, the women washing clothes saw and exclaimed "Ai hole!" (oh, what a river!). The name stuck and the village is now known as Aihole.Shiva's Bow
In the Ramayana, Parashurama came to the betrothal ceremony of the seventhAvatara, Rama, to the princess Sita. As a test of worthiness the suitors were required to lift and string the bow of Shiva, given to theKing Janaka by Parshurama. Rama successfully strung the bow, but in the process it broke in two, producing a tremendous noise that reached the ears of Parashurama. In one such version, played in ramlilas across India, Parshurama arrived after hearing the sound of the bow of Shiva breaking. The kshatriyas were afraid to confront the sage, but Sita approached the sage. He blessed her, saying Saubhagyawati bhavah, literally meaning "be thou blessed with good luck". So when he turned to confront Rama, the destroyer of Shiva's bow, he could not pick up his axe to do so. This was so because, as he blessed Sita with good luck himself, he himself could not cause any harm to her husband. At the same time, he recognised Rama for what he truly was, namely, the avatar of Vishnu.The Mahabharata
In the Mahabharata, Parashurama was the instructor of the warrior Karna, born to a Kshtriya mother but raised as the son of a charioteer, or lower class of Kshatriyas. Karna came to Parashurama after being rejected from the school of Drona, who taught the fivePandava and one hundredKaurava princes. Parashurama agreed to teach Karna, believing him to not be of Kshatriya birth[citation needed], and gave him the knowledge of the extremely powerfulBrahmastra weapon. But an incident would render the Brahmastra almost useless to Karna. One day, Parashurama was sleeping with his head resting on Karna's thigh, when a beetle crawled up and bit Karna's thigh, boring into it. In spite of the bleeding and the pain, he neither flinched or uttered a cry so that his teacher could continue his rest. However, the blood trickled down, reaching Parashurama and awakening him. Convinced that only a Kshatriya could have borne such pain in silence and that Karna had therefore lied in order to receive instruction, he cursed Karna that his knowledge of the Brahmastra would fail him when he needed it most. Later, during the Kurukshetra war, Karna had a dream at night when he thought of his guru and asked him to take back the curse he had warranted years back. Parashurama explained that he knew that the day would come, and he knew that Karna was a Kshatriya.[citation needed][citation needed] But deemed him to be a worthy student and instructed him nevertheless. However, the outcome of the war would have left the world in ruins if Duryodhana were to rule, as opposed to Yudhishthira. For that reason, Parashurama requested that Karna accept the curse and fall at the hands of Arjuna, inadvertantly saving the world. Parashurama was also the guru of both Bheeshma (Devavrata) and Dronacharya[citation needed].The Sixth Avatara
Kalki Purana
The Kalki purana states Parashurama will be the martialguru of SriKalki the 10th and final avatar of Lord Vishnu. It is he who instructs Kalki to perform a long penance to Shiva to receive celestial weaponry.Ganapati in the avatara of Sage Parshurama
Parashurama and Deities' Temples
It is said of the Kanyakumari Temple in the Kanyakumari town, that Parasurama installed the Idol made of blue stone. It is also said that sage Parashurama installed the idol of Dharma Sastha (Ayyappa) on the peak on the Sabarimala Hill in the forest. It is even said that Parashurama is to have trained Ayyappa[ just as Parashurama had trained Karna in the Mahabharata and is believed will train the future Kalki. he is said to have created a temple of worship right after he resurfaced Kerala from the sea - He placed statues of different deities in 108 different places and introduced martial arts ("Kalari Payattu"), to protect the temple from the evils. Also, while the other pilgrimages created by Parashurama are devoted to Lord Shiva, Lord Subramanya and Lord Ganesha, Kollur is the only one devoted to goddess Parvati. There are "Seven Mukti Stalas" of Karnataka, which were created by Parashurama and some of the above such as Kollur belong to them.Parshurama Ksethras
Seven ksethras are popularly known as Parashurama ksethras and a.k.a. 'Parashurama Srishti'. They are:
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