Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

          

  Padmanabhaswamy temple is location in Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala .The temple is built in Dravidian style of architecture associated with the temple located in the neighboring state  of Tamil Nadu featuring high walls and a 16th  century Gopuram. It is the richest Hindu temple in the world .In fact in terms of gold and precious stones, it is by far the wealthiest institution and place worship of any kind in the recorded history  of the world .The principal deity Vishnu is enshrined in the "Anantha Sayanam" posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Adisheshan

              Sree padmanabhaswamy is the tutelary deity of the royal family of Travancore .The titular Maharaja of Travacore Moolam Thirunal Ramavaram is the trustee of the temple as Sree padmanabhadasa, the slave of Lord Padmannabha. In line with the Temple Entry Proclamation ,only those who profess the hindu faithare permitted entry to the temple and devotees have to strictly follow the dress code.

                Several extant Hindu text like the Brahman purana, Matsya purana , Varsha purana ,Bhagavata purana and the Mahabharata mention thtis shrine. Thetemple has been referred to in the Sangam period of Tamil literature between 500 B.C and 300 AD several times. Many extant pieces of Sangam literature and poetry and even later the works of Nammalwar, refr to the temple and eventhe city as monuments that have walls made of pure gold. 

                The Anathapuram Temple in Kasargod is believed to bethe Moolasthanam of the temple. The saga Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar, who resided near Anathapuram temple in Kasargod District prayed to Lord Vishun fot his darshan or auspicion sight.The Lord is believed to have come in the guise of a little boy who was mischievous. The boy defiled the idol ;Enraged at this he chased away the boy , who disappeared. After a long search , when he was walking on the shore ,of the Arabian Sea, he heard a pulaya lady threatening her child that she would throw him at Anathankadu .The moment the swami heared the word Ananthankadu he was delighted . He proceeded to Ananthankadu based on the elirections give by the lady .The sage reached Ananthankadu searching for the boy.There  he saw the boy merging into an illupa tree(Indian Buttter tree). The tree fell down and become Anantha Sayana Moorthi. But the edifice was Lord sized ,with this head at Thiruvallam ,navel at Triruvanathapuram and Lotus-feet at Trippappur , making him some eight miles in length of his staff .Immediately the idol that is seen at present in temple appeared .Bu even then many illuppa trees obstructed a complete vision of the Lord. The sage saw the Lord in three parts Thriumukham, Thiruvual and Thripadam.
                                                 

                                                           The Ananthakadu Nagaraja temple still exist to the north west of padmanabhaswamy temple .Thesamadhi of the swamiyar exists to the padmanabha Temple . A krishna Temple was built over the Samadhi.                            
                                                                         In the first half of the 18th centuary in line with matrilineal customs,Anizham Thirunal Marthandavarma, succeeded his uncle Ramavarma as king at the age of 23.He successfully suppressed the 700 yeat old stranglehold of the discovery of conspiracies which  the lords were involved in against the royal house of Travancore.
                                                            The foundation of the present Gopuram was laid in 1566. The temple stands by the side of a take named Padma Theertha .The temple has a corridor with 356 and one-quarter sculptured granite-stone pillare with elaborate carvings which stands out to be an ultimate testimonial of the eastern side into the sanetum sanctorum . The ground floor under the gopuram is known as the 'natakasala' where the faous templeart kathakali was staged at night during the ten-day uthsavam conducted twice a year , during the Malayalam moths of Meenamand Thulam.