Parashurama is the 6th human avatar of Lord Vishnu. Vishnu incarnated as Parashurama Avatar in Treta Yuga to exterminate the Kshatriya kings who strayed from their path and had become a great burden to Bhumi Devi and her children. He belongs to the period of the first struggle between the Brahmans and the Kshatriyas. He is one of the Chiranjeevis of Hinduism.

Legends of Parashurama
The Mahabharata and the Puranas record that Parashurama was born to the Brahman sage Jamadagni and the princess Renuka, a member of the Kshatriya class. They had four sons and Parashurama was the youngest son and the most powerful and aggressive one. Rama is considered to be a Brahma-Kshatriya.

The myth relates that his mother, having committed a sin, his father commanded his sons to put her to death. All refused to kill his mother except Parashurama. He obeyed his command and killed his mother. In reward for his triumph of duty, he received the gift of invincibility. Parashurama was bestowed with the power of being both physically and mentally strong. He was impossible to be defeated by anyone.

Kartavirya, king of the Haiheyas, coveted the divine cow Kamadhenu which belonged to the Muni, and took it from him by force. When Parashurama was on his visit to Jamadagni, he went forth to recover the cow, and soon killed the robber king. The sons of Kartavirya, to avenge their father"s death, attacked the hermitage of Jamadagni, when Parashurama was away. They killed Jamadagni. Parashurama returned to lament his father`s unmerited fate and vowed that he would destroy the whole Kshatriya race. Parashurama killed all sons of Kartavirya and their aides. His thirst for revenge unquenched, he went on killing every adult Kshatriya on earth, not once but 21 times, filling five ponds with blood.

He had received an axe after undertaking a penance to please Lord Shiva, from whom he learned warfare methods and other skills. In his later life he gave up violence and became an ascetic. The territories he received from the Kshatriyas were distributed among a clan of Brahmins. They ruled these lands for many centuries.

Parashurama is Immortal, it is even believed that he still lives on the earth and he will even teach war skills to Kalki, the 10th Avatar of Vishnu who wil come on the earth in the end of Kali Yuga.

Temples of Parashurama
Parashurama is less worshipped unlike other avatars of Lord Vishnu. However in South India, near Udupi there exists a major temple where Parashurama is worshipped. He is also worshipped in a temple at Parashurama, in Maharashtra"s Ratnagiri district as he is considered the saviour of Konkan Coast. There are Parashurama temples throughout west and North India. There is a temple of Parashurama situated in Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir.