Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram

Introduction

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a grand temple dedicated to Vishnu. This internationally renowned temple is also a Divyadesam, regarded especially holy, and has been praised by the Azhwar saints in their sacred hymns. It is located in Thiruvananthapuram, the Kerala capital. Here the principal deity Padmanabha is reclining on the great serpent Adisesha or Ananta. It is this serpent couch Ananta that gives the city its name ‘Thiru Anantha Puram,’ ‘the town of Ananta,’ where the Lord himself is in Ananta Sayanam, the eternal yogic sleep. Padmanabhaswamy also remains as the tutelary deity of the royal family of Travancore. This is one of the richest temples in India, where invaluable treasures have been found in recent times.

Temple Legends

This temple has been referred to in ancient scriptures like Brahma Purana, Skanda Purana, and Bhagavatha Purana, and epic Mahabharatha. There are also Puranic claims that it was Parasurama, himself a Vishnu incarnation, who consecrated the Padmanabha idol in Dwapara Yuga.

But other legends give this credit to Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar. This sage is said to have prayed to Vishnu and sought his darshan, and the Lord appeared before him as a naughty boy and desecrated the sage’s deity. When the enraged Swamiyar tried to chase the boy away, he disappeared all of a sudden. Realizing the truth, the sage pleaded with the Lord to appear before him again, when a voice directed him to go to the Ananthavana forest. There, after an intense search, he saw the boy again merging in an Iluppa tree. And later, the tree itself turned into Anatha Sayana Vishnu, the Lord reclining on Ananta serpent.

But the form was so huge that it spread across 13 kilometers, with the Lord’s head in Thiruvattar, Tamil Nadu, the central portion in Thiruvananthapuram, and the feet in Thrippadapuram, Kerala. Then on the request of the bewildered sage, the Lord shrunk his form so that his devotee could worship him well. This form is worshipped as Padmanabhaswamy, now. Still, the main idol is worshipped only through 3 entrances, even today. The temple for the Lord was built later by the king and others.

The History and Architecture of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram

While Padmanabhaswamy Temple has been referred to in the Sangam Tamil literature of 500 BCE – 300 CE, historically, it dates back to the 8th century CE and has been built mainly in the Dravidian architectural style, in fusion with the Chera style. It consists of imposing towers, long corridors, circumambulator passages, high walls running around the temple, and a majestic main tower of 16th century. This temple is widely regarded as a replica of the Thiruvattar Adikesava Perumal Temple of Tamil Nadu.

In the sanctum sanctorum, Lord Padmanabha can be worshipped reclining majestically on the serpent Ananta, with 5 hoods. While his right hand is placed on a Shiva lingam, his consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi are by his side. From the lotus that emanates from his navel, emerges the creator Brahma. It is only this phenomenon that gave the Lord his name as Padmanabha, the one with a lotus in his navel. Many other celestial beings, saints, and sages are also seen with the Lord in the main shrine.

This massive 18-foot long Padmanabhaswamy idol is made up of 12008 holy Saligramam stones obtained from the Gandaki river banks in Nepal. ‘Katusarkara Yogam,’ a unique Ayurvedic mix, is applied all over the image for keeping it intact and clean.

The mandapam in front of the sanctum rests on a raised platform and is said to be carved out of a single rock. A Dwajastambam, the 80-foot tall flag mast, stands opposite to the sanctum, facing the entrance. The temple also has shrines for Lord Ugra Narasimha and Krishna Swami. The sacred tank Padma Theertham stands next to the temple.

Temple Festivals

Laksha Deepam is perhaps the most important festival of this temple. This is celebrated once in 6 years when as many as 1 lakh traditional lamps are lit in the temple premises. Vedas and other sacred Mantras are recited for many days prior to this festival. Navaratri involves another grand celebration lasting 9 days when the decorated images of Saraswati, Parashakti, known as Mun Uditha Nangai, and Kumara Swami are taken in grand processions. Swati Music Festival is also conducted during this period. Thiruvonam star day is also observed to commemorate the birthday of Padmanabhaswamy.

Benefits of worshipping Sree Padmanabhaswamy

Padmanabhaswamy devotees are spread across the globe who believe in his immense compassion. It is believed that the Lord can remove obstacles in career and life and bestow good health. As he is also regarded as a wealth-provider, people worship him for relief from their financial problems.