Thiruvananthapuram Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple : Gateways of Mukthi -Temples of India

Introduction

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The principal deity of this temple is in the “Anantha Shayana” form (yogic sleep) on the serpent Adishesha. This deity has been referred to in several puranas including  Vishnu Purana, Brahma Purana, Matsya Purana, and Bhagavata Purana as well in Tamil Sangam literature texts. The Divya Prabandha glorifies this shrine as being among the 13 Divya Desams in Malai Nadu. Nammaazhwaar, the foremost of all 12 Azhwars sang the glories of Lord Padmanabha. The temple is a fusion of the Chera and  Dravidian architectures and closely resembles Adikeshava Perumal temple in Thiruvattaar, Tamilnadu. 

Legends

This temple is believed to have existed since the first day of the Kali Yuga. Devotees believe that Lord Parasurama purified and prayed to the Lord of this temple. 

According to another legend, a sage by name Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar prayed to Lord Vishnu to get his darshan. He heard a voice that directed him to a place called  Anathavana. When he went there, he saw a young boy merging into an Iluppa tree (Indian Butter Tree). The tree fell down and became an idol in reclining position. It was of extraordinary size, with the head seen at Thiruvattaar, Tamil Nadu, body at Thiruvananthapuram, and feet at Thrippaadapuram. The sage then requested the Lord to shrink to a smaller proportion. Immediately the Lord consented and that is the idol seen at present in the Temple.

Also, Lord Indra, Varuna and Ekadasa Rudras (11 Rudras) were freed from various curses by the Lord of this temple.

Temple Structure

In the Sanctum Sanctorum, Lord Padmanabhaswamy reclines on Adisesha. The Lord’s right hand rests over a Shivalingam. The two consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi are by his side. Lord Brahma is seen sitting on a lotus that emerges from the navel of the Lord (navel is Nabhi in Sanskrit while Padma is Lotus, hence the name Padmanabha). The deity is made from over 12,000 saligramams that were brought from the banks of the Gandaki River in Nepal. These stones are believed to be a direct manifestation of Lord Vishnu.

The Deity is visible through three doors – the first door shows the serpent and top portion of the Lord along with a Shivalangam; Goddess Sridevi, sage Bhrigu, Lord Brahma emanating from the Lord’s navel, are seen through the second door; the third door displays Lord’s feet, Goddess Bhudevi and Markandeya Muni.  Other deities in the sanctum include Garuda, Narada, Surya, Chandra and the Saptarishis (Seven Sages).

There are two other important shrines, Thekkedom and Thiruvambadi, for Ugra Narasimha and Lord Krishna respectively. There are also shrines for Lord Rama accompanied by his consort Sita, Vishwaksena, Vyasa and Ashwatthama.

Practices

It is one of the few temples which strictly enforces a dress code –  men must wear “veshti” with “angavastram” (white dhoti and shawl) and women should wear a sari. Even the security personnel inside the temple wear the same outfit. Another aspect to note is that devotees are not allowed to prostrate in the mandapam near the sanctum. It is traditionally held that anybody who prostrates there has surrendered all possessions to Padmanabhaswamy. Only the King of Travancore may perform namaskaram as he has given away all his wealth to the temple.

Festivals

The Aippasi festival and the Panguni festival in the Tamil month of Aippasi (October/November) and Panguni (March/April) respectively, last for 10 days each. It is here that the famous art form Kathakali was first staged. Another major annual festival celebrated here is the Navaratri festival.

The biggest festival in this temple is Laksha deepam ( one lakh lamps). Once in every six years, the devotees light one lakh oil lamps all around the temple premises. This ceremony marks the culmination of the 56-day Murajapam festival which involves ceremonial chanting of the Vedas. Along with this chanting, the idols of Sree Padmanabhaswamy, Narasimha and Thiruvambadi Krishnan are displayed in a procession held once every eight days.

Note: This temple is claimed to be the richest among all temples across the world. The hidden temple vaults boast of several hidden treasures. But then, is there is a bigger treasure than the Lord Himself?

Some temple facts

Dhivyadesam No.	86
Dhivyadesam Name	Thiruvananthapuram
Main Deity	Padmanabha Swamy, Hari Lakshmi Thaayaar
Location	Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (Malai Nadu)
Architecture Style	Cheran / Dravidian Style
Temple Age	Above 2000 years
Azwars who did Mangalasasanam	Nammaazhwar
Divyaprabandam reference	Thiruvaimozhi : 3678 – 3688 (Nammaazhar)
Unique Specialties	Darshan of Lord through three entrances. Prostration in front of sanctum by devotees not allowed.
Prayers made for	General well being
Popular Events	Aippasi (Oct / Nov) & Panguni (Mar / Apr) Festival Navarathri Festival

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