Sri Anantha Padmanabha swamy is the main deity of this temple, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Here Lord is facing in East direction which measures 18 feet in height. The marvelous idol of Sree Padmanabha swamy is seen reclined on the mighty five hooded serpent Anantha. The supreme God is in conscious cosmic slumber with the head positioned to the south and the feet to the North. Anantha (or the endless) spreads its hoods above the head of the Idol. The three coils represent the three characteristics of mankind Sattva, Rajas and Tamas and its five hoods indicate the Panchendriyas(five senses) or the five elements(Panchabhootas). From the navel of the Lord emerges a lotus on which Lord Brahma, the Creator is seated. Just below the stretched right arm of the Lord is the Shiva Linga of the Destroyer.
Interesting Facts
Best Season To Visit
The best season to visit the temple is Winter season. The best months to visit are September to February.
Weather
Highest - April to June (38°C during day and 35°C during night)Average - May (32°C during the day and 25°C during night)Lowest - December to February (26°C during day and 21°C during night)Monsoon season - July to September
Dress Code
Do's & Dont's
transport connections
Name | Distance | Contact Number |
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Trivendram Bus Station
|
1 KM | 9447071021 |
Trivendram Railway Station
|
1 KM | 139 |
Trivandrum International Airport |
9 KM | 0471-2702600 |
Architecture
The temple derives his name from the position of Brahma seated on a lotus emanating from the Lord's navel. Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple is facing in East direction and constructed in Kerala and Dravidian style of architecture. The gopuram for which the foundation had been laid in 1566 was built during this period and the Rajagopuram is 100 feet. The Temple has a seven storeyed gopuram built on the Eastern entrance. It is a fine example of South Indian architecture an is exclusively in Dravidian style. It is about 35 meters height. On the top there are 7 golden domes suggesting pointers to the seven Worlds. The 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu are portrayed inside the first storey of the gopuram. The other three entrances are double storied Padippuras in typical Kerala Style. Entry to the upper levels of the Gopuram is restricted and Dwaja Stambham is covered with Golden flag staff. An eighty feet high pole near the Eastern corridor was installed by Anizham Tirunal. A teak wood of this dimension was carried from the nearby forest to the temple. As per Sastras the wood should not touch the ground while in transport. The teak pole was then covered completely with gold foils. The apex of the flag pole has a figure of Garuda Swamy in kneeling posture. The Sanctum sanctorum or the garbhagriha of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple and is placed on the stone slab.
Mandapams & Pillars : In 1758, during the reign of Sree Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma, the fabulous Kulasekhara Mandapam was build.It is a marvelous and fantastic architectural work on stone. It is also known as Aayiramkal Mandapam and Sapthaswara Mandapam. It is supported by 28 balustrades of pillars. The pillars on the four corners can produce musical notes when taped. There are 11 mandapams in the Temple and 8 in the Padmatheertham pond.
Temple Walls : The outer walls of the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Padmanabha and Sree Krishna are adorned with murals.Of these, the Ananthasayanam on the backside of the sanctum is termed as the largest one among the temple murals of Kerala and was painted by a Brahmin artist by name Chalayil Kalahasti.It is of 18 feet long.
This temple has a tank known as Padmateertham, the temple architecture stands out for its work in stone and bronze. The Idol which was made of Iluppa wood & the deity is made from 12,000 saligramams.
Religious Significance
Legend 1 : According to the legends Divakara Muni was a great Vishnu Bhakta. While at “Aanarthadesa” he performed deep penance. One day lord Vishnu appeared before the sage as a lovely child. The child attracted the attention before the Sage, he requests god to do stay with him. This was accepted and the child stays with him. He said to give great care and tolerated the childish pranks. One day the sage was in meditation at his prayers. The child took the Salagram which the sage using for worship and put it into his mouth and made a nuisance of himself. Then the sage chastised the child immediately the child ran away and disappeared from the spot. While going he said if you wish to see again you will find in ‘’Ananthankaadu’’. Finally, he reached a wooded area near the sea coast. The child disappears into a huge “Ilappa” tree. Immediately the tree fell on the ground and it assumed the form of sree Mahavishnu. The devine form has its head at "Thiruvallam" and its feet is at "Trippapur". Overawed by the majesty and the size of the divine form, which manifested before him, The Sanyasi prayed to the Lord to condense himself in size so that he could behold Him. There upon the image of the Lord shrank to a size, three times the length of the Sanyasy’s Yoga Dand. His prayers had been granted. He immediately offered a raw mango in a coconut shell (still this offering continues). The Lord ordained that, poojas to Him should be conducted by Tulu Brahmins. To this day half the number of priests in this Temple represent Tulu region.
Legend 2 : Another generally accepted version about the origin of the Temple relates it to the famous Namboothiri sanyasi Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar, whose name is linked with the histories of several temples in Southern India. This Swamiyar was also a Vishnu bhakta. The legend is almost identical with that of Divakara Muni referred above. It is said that, when Sree Maha Vishnu presented himself in the Ananthasayana rupa (in the form of reclining on Anantha) before the sage at Ananthankaadu, the latter had nothing worth while to offer Him. From a mango tree standing nearby, he plucked a few unripe mangoes and placed them in a coconut shell lying there and in all humility offered it as ‘nivedyam’ to the Lord. Even today salted mango forms a major offering. The original coconut shell has been encased in gold. It has also been the practice in the Temple for the past several centuries that the morning ‘pushpanjali’ is to be performed by a Namboothiri Brahmin sanyasi (designated Pushpanjaly Swamiyar) specially commissioned for this purpose. It is also believed that the small Sree Krishna Swamy Temple, located near the Western Swamiyar Madam (residence of one of the two Pushpanjali Swamiyars of the Temple) has been built over the Samadhi of Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar.
Puranas reference : The Temple has references in Epics and Puranas. According to legend the Sree Narasimhaswamy and Sree Sastha shrines were established after the installation of the idol of Lord Sree Padmanabhaswamy. There is mention in the ‘Bhagavatha Purana’ (chapter 10, chapter 79) that Sree Balarama visited “Syanandoorapuram” or “Ananthasayam” (Thiruvananthapuram) in the course of his pilgrimage. Similarly in the ‘Brahmanda Purana’ also there is a reference to “Syanandoorapura”. These references show that this temple is of great antiquity and has been held in veneration over the centuries as an important seat of Sree Maha Vishnu.
History
This temple was built in 8th Century by King Kotha Marthandan and renovated in 1758. Travancore kings are the contributors for this temple. In 1686 A.D. The Temple was almost fully destroyed in a major fire accident. Work on the re-construction of the Temple was started only in 1724. Srimad Bhagavatha says that Balarama visited this temple, bathed in Padmatheertham and made several offerings.
Temple Timings
Day | Timings | |
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All Days | 03:30 AM - 12:00 PM | 05:00 PM - 08:00 PM |
Tours
Airports
Airport Name | Distance |
---|---|
Shamshabad | 40 KM |
Lorem Ipsum | 12 KM |
Railway Stations
Railway Station Name | Distance |
---|---|
Secunderabad | 10 KM |
Nampally | 12 KM |
Begumpet | 6 KM |
Lingampally | 20 KM |
Bus Stations
Bus Station Name | Distance |
---|---|
MGBS | 35 KM |
CBS | 28 KM |
kukatpally | 20 KM |
Lingampally | 30 KM |
Uppal | 35 KM |
Private Transports
Transport Name | Distance | Contact Number |
---|---|---|
Private Transport | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transports
Transport Name | Distance | Contact Number |
---|---|---|
Local Transport | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
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Nearest Attractions
Internationally renowned beach with 3 adjacent crescent beaches
Dam is situated on the banks of the river Karamana
Built for Umayamma Rani of the Venad Royal Family
Only eco-friendly park with lots of trees
16th Century fort constructed by the East India Company
It was declared a sanctuary in 1983
Serves as trekker's paradise with several beautiful trails
Nestled so near the protective arms of the sea
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