Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple,Darshan Information

Located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vishnu Temples in India. The temple was established in the 8th century. Here the deity, Lord Vishnu is seen in the "Anantha Shayanam" posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Adisheshan. Sree Padmanabhaswamy is the tutelary deity of the royal family of Travancore. It is the richest Hindu temple in the world. It is by far the wealthiest institution and place of worship of any kind, in the recorded history of the world, in terms of assets gold and precious stones. The Travancore Royal Dynasty has a huge contribution in renovating and preserving the ancient sanctum of Shree Padmanabhaswamy. In 1750, the king Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma dedicated the kingdom of Travancore to Lord Padmanabha. Since then, his descendants have ruled the region as the slaves of Shree Padmanabha. Even the word Tiruvananthapuram means - the land of Shree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy.

Location Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvananthapuram

Legend

According to the legends, Divakar Muni was a great Vishnu devotee. To please Lord Vishnu, Divakar Muni performed deep penance at the Aanarthadesa. Pleased with his devotion, Lord Vishnu appeared in front of Divakar Muni as a little boy. Enticed by the boy's charm, Divakar Muni asked the boy to stay along with him. But in reply, the little lord said that if Divakar Muni promise to give the boy respect, then only he will be staying along with him, else he will disappear if the sanyasi ever misbehaves or disrespects him. Divakar Muni accepted the terms and the little boy started living with Divakar muni. However, the boy's regular pranks started irritating the Divakar muni and one day the boy broke all the limits by taking the salagram of the rishi in his mouth and created a nuisance as the pious rishi used to worship the salgram as a symbol of Shree Vishnu. Divakar muni scolded the little boy on his act and at that moment the boy disappeared. While the boy was leaving, he told Divakar muni that if he again wants to see him, he should visit Ananthankaadu and disappeared. The broken hearted Muni visited the place and saw the boy again who disappeared into a gigantic Ilappa tree. Soon the tree fell on the grounds and took a form of Lord Vishnu. It was a life like idol with its head towards Thiruvallam, a place that is around 3 miles south from the Temple of Sree Padmanabha Swamy and its feet at Trippapur which is 5 miles away towards the north. Divakar muni requested the lord to condense himself so as to worship the idol. Lord Vishnu granted his prayers. The Muni offered Lord Vishnu a raw mango in a coconut shell and the Lord accepted that offering with happiness. Another version about the legend of the origin of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is related to famous Sage Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar who was a

Visnhu devotee. The story is identical to the story of Divakara Muni. When Lord Vishnu presented himself in front of Sage Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar in the form of reclining on Anantha at Ananthankaadu, the sage had nothing worthwhile to offer the Lord. So the sage plucked a few unripe mangoes from a mango tree standing nearby and placed them in a coconut shell lying there and offered it to the Lord.

Architecture

The architecture of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is mainly structured with stone and bronze. The interiors are decorated with murals and ancient paintings. The life-size idol of Shree Vishnu is said to be created with salgramshilas collected from the Gandaka River of Nepal. Besides Padmanabhaswamy, there are idols of Lord Ganapati, Narsimha Swamy, and Gaja Laxmi. There is a 80 ft high dhwaja stambha that is adorned with golden and copper sheets.

The Gopuram or the main gate to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple deserves special mention. Besides, the Mukha Mandapam and the Bali Peeda Mandapam entice visitors. Devotes can explore the halls, festooned with the ancient sculptures of Hindu deities. One of the significant attractions of temple is the Navagraha Mandapa. Here, the ceiling is displayed with the 9-planets that are found in our solar system.

At the nataka sala, Kathakali dance is performed for the God during the annual 10 day festival of the shrine of Lord Vishnu. This festival is held during the Malyalam months of Thulam and Meenam.

Culture

The culture of Kerala has made a strong position in the Indian subcontinent with the perfect blend of the traditional Aryan and Dravidian cultures. Historical references have traced the genesis of Kerala from a pre-historic area called Thamizhagom during the 3rd century CE and later on many cultural similarities are found from the Tamil cultures of the Chera, Chola, and Pandya kingdoms. The people mainly speak Malayalam and are enriched with proper education, performing arts, martial arts etc. Kerala is famous for being God's own land.

Darsan Info

Main Pooja - Nirmalyam to Deeparadhana Pooja

Sree Padmanabha Swamy and Shree Krishna Swamy Pooja- Nirmalyam to Ushapooja pooja

Sree Sastha and Agrashala Ganapathy- Nirmalyam to Pantheeradi pooja

Sree Hanuman Swamy Nirmalyam to Ucha pooja

Darsan Dresscode

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple maintains a particular dress code. Men are allowed to enter the Temple in Dhoti and Angavastra. They can also tie the Angavastra across the waist. Women are allowed to visit the temple of Lord Padmanabhaswamy in saree, dhotis, padavas with blouse. Any modern dress including salwar sets and kurtas are not allowed to wear. Girls below 12 years are allowed to wear gowns or long frocks. No other types of dresses are allowed to wear or take inside the temple.