Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The temple finds mentions in holy texts like the Puranas namely Skanda Purana, Padma Purana, Brahma Purana, etc. It is considered to be one of the seven Parasurama Kshetras. Between 500 B.C. nd 300 A.D., it has also been a topic of Sangam literature. Legend says that Divakar Muni, who is said to have consecrated the temple, was an ardent Vishnu Bhakta and performed deep tapas for Lord Vishnu.

One day the sage noticed a very charming child and fell deeply for him right away. He didn't ever want the child to leave his sight, and so, he requested the child to stay with him. The child agreed on the condition that Divakar Muni must always treat him with love and respect and if he ever fails to do so, the child would disappear at once, to which the sage readily agreed. The hermit took great care of the child and lovingly tolerated the child's tantrums and mischiefs.

Once, Divakar Muni was in deep meditation when the child started mishandling the salagram that the sage used for Lord Vishnu's worship. The hermit was profoundly enraged, and he yelled at the child for his misconduct. The child, as agreed before, immediately began to run away from the spot. However, before leaving he told the sage, "If you wish to see me again, you will find me again in Ananthankaadu". The hermit soon realised that this was no ordinary child and set out to him while foregoing food, rest and sleep and continued along the route the child had taken.

He spotted the child at a distance disappearing into a tree. Once he got closer, the tree fell down and assumed the form of Shree Maha Vishnu- a divine form which was about 8 miles long! Overawed by the Lord's presence and his enlarged form, Divakar Muni requested the lord to condense himself so that he could behold him. The Lord obliged and shrank to a size which was three times the length of the Sanyasi's Yoga Dand.

The sage immediately offered the lord a raw mango in a coconut shell, which is continued as a tradition in the temple every day. TheLordd instructed that prayers and poojas to him must be conducted by Tulu Brahmins, and that is why more than half the poojaris at the temple represent the Tulu region.

The vaults in the temple, as named for documentation purposes, are A, B, C, D, E and F. All the vaults in the temple are opened at least about 8 times a year, except Vault B. Vault B is an exceptionally special vault.

Famous historians, priests and archaeologists believe that the mysterious contents of this vault are extremely sacred and it may be risky to unveil them.

The chamber is believed to have been sealed by the siddha purashas of the 16th century using the naga bandham. The door can only be opened when a learned, erudite sage, who is well versed with the naga bandham, chants the garuda mantra to open it, and the door will then willingly give way. Any attempt to open the door using machinery or technology is believed to wreak havoc in the entire country.

In 2011, the Supreme Court of India sent a seven-member team in the presence of the Head Trustee of the Travancore Trust of Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy to open the 6 vaults that were locked inside the temple. When these chambers were opened, everyone was left dumbfounded!

The chambers contained sacks of diamonds, piles of priceless gems, hundreds of gold statues, numerous gold idols, heaps of gold utensils, thousands of gold coins from different nations and pricey ancient weaponry. The priceless items found weighed over 1 ton of pure gold and diamonds and were worth more than 1000 billion dollars!

Many gold statues that were found were over 9 feet in height and studded with precious gems. Colossal solitaire diamonds lay in the vault and were bigger than a human thumb. Gold and diamond necklaces were about 18 feet long, and heaps of solid gold coconut shells were discovered that weighed more than 66 pounds.

Read more about Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple Treasure

The architecture of the temple can be described to be a fusion of the Kerala style and the Dravidian (Kovil) style which can be found in many nearby temples essentially featuring high walls. The garbagriha or the sanctum sanctorum is located on a stone slab, and the main idol of the deity is about 18ft long.

The entire construction has been carried out with precision in stone and bronze with beautiful murals and paintings adorning its walls. A broad corridor extends from the eastern side and is said to have 365 and one-quarter of granite stone pillars and spectacularly ornate carvings. The Navagraha Mandapa is one other major attraction which is a ceiling displaying the nine planets.

In the temple, Sri Padmanabha reclines majestically on the serpent Anantha. The serpent has five hoods facing inwards forming an umbrella over the deity's head and signifies contemplation.  This is known as the 'Ananatha-sayanam' posture, the posture of eternal sleep, 'Yogi-nindra', on the serpent, Anantha. The Lord rests his right hand over a Shiva lingam and is surrounded by the great goddesses- Sridevi, the Goddess of Prosperity and Bhudevi the Goddess of Earth. Lord Brahma emerges on a lotus that emanates from the navel of the resting lord.

The temple joyously celebrates the festival of Thiruvonam, the birthday of Shree Padmanabhaswamy. Traditional aartis and customs are carried out as dictated by the ancestors several generations ago.

The temple celebrates bi-annual festivals of Thulam and Meenam. It's a ten-day festival that celebrates Shree Padmanabhaswamy. Traditionally, they used elephants to carry the festive idols, but after an elephant starting running amuck at one such occasion, this ritual has been discontinued.

Lakshadeepam, a festival of a thousand lamps, is celebrated by decorating the entire temple in burning flames of the numerous lamps. The sight of the temple during this festival is truly mesmerizing.

The temple has a strict dress code- Women are required to wear sarees, mundum neriyathum (set-mundu), skirt and blouse, or half-saree. Young girls below the age of 12 may wear gowns. Men are similarly required to wear mundu or dhoti and go bare in the torso. Dhotis are easily available for rent near the entrance. Nowadays, there has been some relaxation in this respect to avoid any inconvenience for the devotees.