5/5 Satyajit P. 2 years ago on Google
The
Shree
Padmanabhaswamy
Temple
is
a
Hindu
temple
located
in
Thiruvananthapuram,
the
state
capital
of
Kerala,
India.
It
is
considered
as
the
richest
place
of
worship
in
the
world.
The
name
of
the
city
of
'Thiruvananthapuram'
in
Malayalam
translates
to
"The
City
of
Lord
Ananta",
(The
City
Of
Lord
Vishnu)
referring
to
the
deity
of
the
Padmanabhaswamy
temple.
The
temple
is
built
in
an
intricate
fusion
of
the
Chera
style
and
the
Dravidian
style
of
architecture,
featuring
high
walls,
and
a
16th-century
gopura.
While
the
Ananthapura
temple
in
Kumbla
in
Kasaragod
is
considered
as
the
original
seat
of
the
deity
("Moolasthanam"),
architecturally
to
some
extent,
the
temple
is
a
replica
of
the
Adikesava
Perumal
temple
in
Thiruvattar.
The
principal
deity
Padmanabhaswamy
(Vishnu)
is
enshrined
in
the
"Anantha
Shayana"
posture,
the
eternal
yogic
sleep
on
the
infinite
serpent
Adi
Shesha.Padmanabhaswamy
is
the
tutelary
deity
of
the
royal
family
of
Travancore.
The
titular
Maharaja
of
Travancore,
Moolam
Thirunal
Rama
Varma,
is
the
trustee
of
the
temple.
Several
extant
Hindu
Texts
like
the
Vishnu
Purana,
Brahma
Purana,Matsya
Purana,Varaha
Purana,
Skanda
Purana,
Padma
Purana,Vayu
Purana,
Bhagavata
Purana
etc
mention
the
Padmanabhaswamy
Temple.
The
Temple
has
been
referred
to
in
the
(only
recorded)
Sangam
period
of
literature
several
times.Many
conventional
historians
and
scholars
are
of
the
opinion
that
one
of
the
names
that
the
Temple
had,
"The
Golden
Temple",
literally
was
in
cognizance
of
the
fact
that
the
Temple
was
already
unimaginably
wealthy
by
that
point.Many
extant
pieces
of
Sangam
Tamil
literature
and
poetry
as
well
as
later
works
of
the
9th
century
of
Tamil
poet-saints
like
Nammalwar
refer
to
the
temple
and
the
city
as
having
walls
of
pure
gold.
At
some
places,
both
the
temple
and
the
entire
city
are
often
eulogised
as
being
made
of
gold,
and
the
temple
as
heaven.
The
temple
is
one
of
the
108
principal
Divya
Desams
("Holy
Abodes")
in
Vaishnavism
according
to
existing
Tamil
hymns
from
the
seventh
and
eighth
centuries
C.E
and
is
glorified
in
the
Divya
Prabandha.
The
Divya
Prabandha
glorifies
this
shrine
as
being
among
the
13
Divya
Desam
in
Malai
Nadu
(corresponding
to
present-day
Kerala
with
Kanyakumari
District).
The
8th
century
Tamil
poet
Alvar
Nammalvar
sang
the
glories
of
the
Padmanabha.
It
is
believed
that
Parasurama
purified
and
venerated
the
idol
of
Sree
Padmanabhaswamy
in
Dvapara
Yuga.
Parasurama
entrusted
'Kshethra
karyam'
(Administration
of
the
Temple)
with
seven
Potti
families
–
Koopakkara
Potti,
Vanchiyoor
Athiyara
Potti,
Kollur
Athiyara
Potti,
Muttavila
Potti,
Karuva
Potti,
Neythasseri
Potti
and
Sreekaryathu
Potti.
King
Adithya
Vikrama
of
Vanchi
(Venad)
was
directed
by
Parasurama
to
do
'Paripalanam'
(Protection)
of
the
Temple.
Parasurama
gave
the
Tantram
of
the
Temple
to
Tharananallur
Namboothiripad.
This
legend
is
narrated
in
detail
in
'Kerala
Mahathmyam'
which
forms
part
of
'Brahmanda
Puranam'.
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