Padmanabha Swamy Idol-Ananthasayanam
Padmanabhaswamy temple, also known as Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is the famous Hindu temple dedicated to god Vishnu located inside East Fort in the city of Thiruvananthapuram,in Kerala, In South India. The temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams. The principal deity, Padmanabhaswamy, is a form of Vishnu in "Anananta-sayanam" (Vishnu in the eternal sleep of Yoga nidra on the Serpent Anantha ) posture.[ Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a very ancient temple and the city of Thiruvananthapuram derives its name from the name of Ananta, the presiding deity enshrined in the temple.
HISTORY
In older days Sree Padmanabha Kshetram and its properties were controlled by powerful lords known as Ettuveettil pillamar under the guidance of Ettara Yogam. Later, Marthanda Varma defeated the Pillamar and his cousins "Kunju thampis", took over power.
The last major renovation of the temple was done by King Marthanda Varma, Maharaja, of the erstwhile pincely state of Travancore. He dedicated his kingdom to the deity, and pledged that he and his descendants would serve the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa, meaning "servants of the Lord Padmanabha". With this, Sri Padmanabha became the nominal head of the state of Travancore, assuming the title Perumal, the Emperor. The British Government saluted the Lord with a 21-gun salute, a military tradition of colonial days, which was continued by the Indian Army until the abolition of the privy purses by Government of India with Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister.
The royal insignia of the Lord, The Valampiri Shankhu or dextral conch-shell, served as the State emblem of Travancore and even continued so for some time after the re-organization of the States. Sri Padmanabha is still regarded as regional deity of Travancore. The two annual festivals of the Temple culminate in a grand procession, in which the three deities (Sree Padmanabha, Narasimha Swamy and Krishna) are carried on flower-deck and aesthetically decorated Garuda Vahanas to the Shankhumukhom beach, for 'aaraattu' (sacramental ablution). The 'aarattu' days are declared as local public holidays in Thiuvananthapuram. The Idol is made of Kadusarkkara Yogam, an ayurvedic mixture, with Lord Vishnu sleeping on Anantha with his head pointing towards south and facing east.
On the 30th of June, 2011, 50,000 crore rupees worth in gold, diamonds, and other treasures were unearthed in the vaults at the temple. Several antiques such as 18th century Napoleon-age coins were also discovered at the temple. A local lawyer, Sundar Rajan, filed a case in the Kerala High Court demanding the takeover of the temple, saying that the current controllers were incapable of protecting the wealth of the temple because it did not have its own security force.
This incident propelled the Padmanabhaswamy temple into the league of the most wealthy temples in India, with the likes of Tirupati Balaji and others.
Gopuram
The foundation of the present gopuram was laid in 1566. The temple has a 100-foot, seven-tier gopuram. The temple stands by the side of a tank, named Padma Theertham (meaning the lotus spring). The temple has a corridor with 365 and one-quarter sculptured granite-stone pillars with elaborate carvings. This corridor extends from the eastern side into the sanctum sanctorum. An eighty-foot flag-staff stands in front of the main entry from the 'prakaram' (corridor). The ground floor under the gopuram (main entrance in the eastern side) is known as the 'Nataka Sala' where the famous temple art Kathakali was staged in the night during the ten-day uthsavam (festival) conducted twice a year, during the Malayalam months of Meenam and Thulam.
Garbhagriha
In the Garbhagriha, an idol of Vishnu is depicted in a reclining position over the serpent Anantha or Adi Sesha. The serpent has his face pointed upwards, as if enjoying the fragnance emanating from the lotus held in his left hand. His right hand hangs over Shiva. Sridevi and Bhudevi, two consorts of Vishnu stand by his side and the Brahma is seen on a lotus, which emanates from the navel of Vishnu. The idol is made up of 12008 Saligram that compose the reclining Vishnu. These Saligram are from the banks of the river Gandaki in Nepal, brought with much ceremony on elephants. On top of the Saligram, "Katusarkara yogam", a special ayurvedic mix, was used to make a plaster. The katu sarkara mould keeps the idol free from pests. The abhishekam of the Lord is not a traditional ritual. The daily worship is with flowers and for the abhishekam special separate idols are used. The flowers have always been removed using peacock feathers fearing damaging the katu sarkara on the idol.]
The GarbaGriha is carved out of a single stone and hence called "Ottakkal Mandapam". In order to perform darshan and puja, one has to climb on to the "Ottakkal Mandapam". The deity is visible through three doors - Face of the Lord and Siva Linga underneath his hand in the first door, Brahma seated on lotus emanating from the Lord's navel along with the "Utsava moorthi" and idols of Lord MahaVishnu, Sreedevi and Bhoodevi in the second door and the Lord's feet in the third door. Only the King of Travancore may perform Namaskaram, or bow prostrate on this "Ottakkal Mandapam". Since the idol of the Lord is also on this "Ottakkal Mandapam", anybody who bows prostrate, or any material object that is kept here, henceforth belongs to the Lord. Here, the King is called a "Padmanabha Dasa", or a "servant" of Vishnu. Adherents believe that it is actually Vishnu who rules the state of Tranvacore.
In the 108 Divya deshams, or holiest shrines of Lord Vishnu, the idols of the Lord are in one of the three different postures. Either reclining, sitting, or standing. A unique feature of the Padmanabha Swamy temple is that it has idols in all these three postures. The main idol inside the sanctum sanctorum and viewed from three doors is in the reclining posture, the idol viewed through the central door in the standing posture, and the "Utsava Murthi", the idol taken out for the festival processions is in the sitting posture.
There are other important shrines inside the temple for Hindu deities Sri Narasimha, Sri Krishna, Sri Ayyappa, Sri Ganesha and Sri Hanuman. Many other small shrines like Kshetrapalan (who guards the temple), Vishwaksena and Sri Garuda are also present.
A unique feature that came to light recently is the fact that Lord Padmanabha's idol is entirely cast in gold except for the face and chest. Katu sarkara yogam was used to ward off invasion of the temple by the Muslim rulers. The crown of the Lord sporting kundalams in the ears, the huge salagrama mala adorning the chest and the finely chiseled poonal are in gold. The various ornaments covering the chest and the right hand sporting a huge kankanam shielding Lord Siva, the left hand holding a Kamalam are in gold. The stalk of the kamalam rising out of the nabhi is also in splendid gold. The entire length of the Lord's legs is again cast in gold.
The katu sarkara yogam was obviously an ingeniously conceived plan to avoid the prying eyes of the invaders who attacked the city.
There are many legends regarding the origin of the temple. One such legend says that Vilamangalathu Swamiyar alias Divakara Muni prayed to Krishna for his darshan. Krishna came in disguise as a small, mischievous boy. The boy swallowed the Saligrama which was kept in Puja. The Sage became enraged at this and chased the boy until the boy hid himself behind a tree. The tree fell down and became Vishnu in Anantha Shayanam (reclining posture on Anantha the serpent) --but when he did so, he was of an extraordinarily large size. The Sage, recognizing that the tree was Vishnu, pleaded that because of the huge form the lord had manifested before him he could not either have a mind fulfilling darshan or circumbulate him. He then asked the Lord to shrink to a smaller proportion - thrice the length of his staff. Immediately, the Lord Vishnu shrunk himself, and told the sage that he should be worshipped through three doors. These doors are now the doors in the temple through which the idol may be viewed. Through the first door, the worship is offered to Shiva; through the second entrance to Brahma on the Lord's lotus navel, and through the third is Vishnu's feet, which are said to lead to salvation.[]
There was a great fire accident in which the original Murti which was made of the wood of that tree got burned during a fire that engulfed the temple complex, was a sign of the unhappiness of the lord with the king.
The pictures of Padmanabha swamy temple during a celebration.
Mythology
Padmanabhaswamy Temple stands at a place considered as one of the seven Parasurama Kshetras; texts including the Puranas, particularly the Skanda Purana and Padma Purana, have references to this shrine. Another story tells of a pulaya couple seeing Vishnu in the form of a child. The child took morsels of rice from the hands of the couple. Also it is believed that Divakaramuni, when he saw the deity he took the first food item he saw which was an Unripe Mango and a coconut shell as an offering plate and performed primary pooja. In memory of this legend, naivedyam or offering prepared from rice is offered to the deity here in a coconut shell.
Sri Padmanabha Swamy Mahatmyam - history
The idol is made up of 12008 salagramams that compose the reclining lord. They are special because they are from Nepal, from the banks of river Gandhaki and they were brought to the temple with all pomp and gaiety on elephant top. On top of them "katusarkara yogam",navaratnams, a special ayurvedic mix, was used to give a plaster. Followers believe that the Lord has personally come in disguise and had saved many times the Travancore Kingdom from the clutches of enemies.
Nivedyam or offering to Perumal
Apart from the usual rice offering various other items are offered including Retna Payasam or offering of Payasam in a Gem studded Golden Vessel, Meni Thula Payasam or the Delicious Rice and Jaggery Pudding entirely made in Ghee, Pal Manga, Otta Thula Payasam, Panthranu Kalam Payasam, and Paal Payasam (Milk and Rice Pudding) which is very famous. During Thursdays, special Panakam is offered to Lord Narasimha. Unni Appam, Mothakam, Aval with sugar is also offered to Lord.. But the most important Nivedyam in this Temple is the Uppu Manga (unripe mango soaked in brine water) which is offered in a gold covered chiratta or coconut shell. This coconut shell is more than 1200 years old. The Great Sage Vilwamangalathu Divakara Acharyar offered an unripe mango in this very same coconut shell and it is still prserved with thick layers of pure gold as an outer covering.
Darshan, sevas and festivals
There are many festivals related to this temple. The major festivals are bi-annual. The Alpashy festival which is in October/November and the Painkuni festival which is in March/April, lasts for 10 days each. These festivals culminate with the Aarat (holy bath) procession to the Shankumugham Beach. The word Aarat refers to the purificatory immersion of the deities of the temple in sea. This event takes place in the evening. The King of Travancore escorts the Aarat procession by foot. The idols of Sri Padmanabhaswamy, Krishna and Narasimha are given a ritual bathe in the sea, after the prescribed pujas. After this ceremony, the idols are taken back to the temple as a procession in the light of traditional torches, marking the conclusion of the festival.
The major annual festival related to Padmanabha temple is theNavaratri festival. The idols of Saraswati, Duga, and Murukann are brought to the kuthira malika palace in front of Padmanabha temple as a procession. This festival lasts for 9 days. The famous Swathi music festival is held every year during this festival.
The biggest festival in this temple is laksha deepam, which means hundred thousand (or one lakh) lamps. This festival is unique and commences once in 6 years. Prior to this festival, chanting of prayers and recitation of three vedas is done for 56 days. On the festival time, hundred thousand oil lamps are lit in and around the temple premises. The next laksha deepamis slated on January 2014
Darshan times are (before noon) 3.30-4.45, 6.30-7.00, 8.30-10.00, 10.30-11.00, 11.45-12.00; (after noon) 5.00-6.15 and 6.45-7.20. Only Hindus are permitted inside the temple. Devotees have to strictly follow the dress code. Men should remove clothes above waist and deposit in the locker room. No one is permitted to wear dress that displays both legs separately. This means no pants for men or churidhar for women. Dhotis can be borrowed at the locker room for Rs. 15. Dhotis can be worn over pants or churidhar. No cell phones or cameras are permitted inside the temple. Cell phones must be deposited in the locker room after taking it out of the bag for Rs. 15 a piece. Hand bags are permitted inside.
KNOW MORE ABOUT PADMANABHA
SWAMY TEMPLE
The Padmanabha Swamy temple is now filled in
the news of all kind of media here.The reports says that the value of the treasure
unearthed is very vast and could not be
even counted for calculating the value.
Recent reports says that it will be more than 5 Lakh crores without
calculating the antique value. Some of
the details on the temple is given for the information of public.
1. The wealth is fully owned by the the presiding deity
Padmanabha Swamy. In 1750, Travancore ruler Marthanda Varma donated all the
kingdom's wealth to the deity.
2. There are 6 cellar in the temple. Out of this the team
appointed by the Supreme court opened 5 of them. The remaining one B cellar has
to be opend. But supreme court directed
not to open the B cellar.
3.Treasure worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore found so far. It is
only the physical value. The antique value will be much much more.
4. The search on the
vaults was initiated after a lawyer petitioned the Supreme Court to order a
government take over of the temple as it did not have enough security.
5. The existence of the temple's staggering wealth was always
known. The 1941 Pradhanapetta (important) Mathilakom Records compiled by
Malayalam poet Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer mentions it. The 12-volume Kottaram
(Palace) manual also talks of it.Records talk of sacred cellars from which
treasure is now being dug out.
6. The royals call themselves Padmanabha Dasa (servants of Lord
Padmanabha) and are pledge-bound never to take even a penny from the Lord's
wealth. Royal family members who visit the shrine wipe off the sand from their
feet when they leave the shrine. Family members don't take home even a speck of
sand belonging to Padmanabha!
7.Though Travancore merged with the Indian Union in 1949, the
management of the temple remains with royal family.
8. The boundaries of the
erstwhile Travancore state . It extended
from Kanyakumari in present-day Tamil Nadu to Aluva (in Ernakulam) in the
north. Padmanabhapuram (now in Tamil Nadu) was the first capital, but it was
shifted to to Thiruvananthapuram subsequently.
History of Padmanabhaswamy
Temple Trivandrum
The history of Sree Padmanabhaswamy
Temple dates back to 8th
Century. References to the temple can be found in the Divya Prabandha canon of
literature written by Tamil Alwar. Alvars are the Tamil Saint poets who lived
between the sixth and ninth centuries AD. References to Sri Padmanabha
Temple is also said to
have in the Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, Varaha Purana, and Vayu Purana. One of
the twelve Alvars, Nammalvar (8th Century) had created four slokas and one
phalasruthi about Sree
Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
Major Renovation of Temple
by Marthanda Varma
It is believed that Sree Padmanabhaswamy
Temple and its properties
were maintained by Ettuveetil Pillamar – the eight powerful Nair feudal lords
of ancient Travancore. Later His Royal Highness Sree Marthanda Varma Anizham
Thirunal suppressed the Ettuveetil Pillais and his cousins and took over the
control of the temple. Marthanda Varma has done a major renovation to the
temple and it is said that the current structure of Padmanabhaswamy temple was
made by the King.
History of Sree
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
and Maharaja Mathanda Varma
Murajapam and Bhadra Deepam Introduced in Temple
It was Marthanda Varma who
introduced the Murajapam and Bhadra Deepam festival in the temple. Murajapam,
which literally means continuous chanting of prayers, is still conducted in the
temple once in 6 years. Murajapam is performed when 12 Bhadradeepam joins.
Travancore was dedicated to Sree
Padmanabhaswamy in 1750
In 3rd January 1750, Maharajah Marthanda Varma
dedicated the kingdom
of Travancore to Lord
Padmanabha. Marthanda Varma vowed that the royal family will rule the state on
behalf of Lord and he and his descendants would "serve" the kingdom
as Padmanabha Dasa or the Servant of Lord Padmanabha. Since then the name of
every Travancore King was preceded by the title Padmanabha Dasa, while the
female were called Padmanabha Sevinis. The donation of the kingdom of Travancore
to Padmanabhaswamy was known as “Thripadidanam”. After dedicating the kingdom
to the Lord, Marthanda Varma was known as Sripadmanabha Vanchipala
Marthandavarma Kulasekaraperumal. By giving the Kingdom to Lord Padmanabha, the
whole Travancore state became the property of Sree Padmanabhaswamy, and hence
it is very appropriate to call Kerala as “God’s Own Country” or Sree
Padmanabhaswamy’s Own Country.
Travancore Kings after Marthanda Varma
After the death of Marthanda Varma in 1758, all
the succeeded Kings of Travancore took great care in continuing the daily
poojas and ceremonies of Sri
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
intact and also rule the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa. The successors of
Marthanda Varma was Dharma Raja, Balarama Varma, Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, Gowri
Parvati Bayi, Swathi Thirunal, Uthram Thirunal, Ayilyam Thirunal, Visakham
Thirunal, Moolam Thirunal, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, and Chithira Thirunal. The
present head of the Travancore Royal Family, Sri Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda
Varma also keeps the words of Marthanda Varma and is very loyal to Sree
Padmanabhaswamy and maintains the temple rituals and ceremonies intact.
About Temple
Sri Padmanabhaswamy
Temple,dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the
Ananthasayanam posture is one of the most famous Lord Vishnu Temples in Kerala,South India. Also known as Sree Ananda Padmanabhaswamy
Temple, this Mahavishnu Temple is located inside East Fort, in
Thiruvananthapuram - the capital city of Kerala, India.Lord Vishnu is enshrined
here in the Anananthasayanam posture (in eternal sleep ofyognidra), lying on Sri
Anantha, the hooded snake. According to traditions, Sree Padmanabhaswamy
Kshetram is believed to have been worshipped by Chandra (Moon God) and Lord
Indra (the head of the Devas). Sri
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
is also one of the seven Parasurama kshetras in Kerala. The city of Thiruvananthapuram is
named after theLord. The word Thiruvananthapuram literally means "The land of Sree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy"
Importance of the
Idol
The idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy can be viewed
through three doors in the sanctum. And is made up of 12008 salagramams that
compose the reclining lord. They are special because they are from Nepal, from the
banks of river Gandhaki and they were brought to the temple with all pomp and
gaiety on elephant top. On top of them "Katusarkara
Yogam",Navaratnams, a special Ayurvedic mix, was used to give a plaster.
Followers believe that the Lord has personally come in disguise and had saved
many times the Travancore Kingdomfrom the clutches of enemies.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Worshipped through 3 Doors
The garbhagriha or sanctum sanctorum of Sree Padmanabhaswamy
Temple is located on a
stone slab and the Lord who is seen resting on the serpent inside is viewed
through three different doors. The head and chest are seen in the first door;
the middle portion and hands appear through the second door and the feet are
seen through the third door. His right hand is hanged over Lord Shiva. Beside
him are his consorts, Sridevi and Bhudevi and Lord Brahma is seen on a lotus,
which comes from the navel of Vishnu. The idol is about 18 feet long built with
10, 008 Saligram stones and covered with gold and precious stones. The
distinctive feature of the temple is that it has idols of the Lord in three
postures. Main idol inside the sanctum is in the reclining posture; the idol
seen through the central door in the standing posture, and there is an Utsava
Murthi (the idol taken out for the festival processions) in the sitting
posture.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple has separate shrines
for Hindu deities including
1) Lord Narasimhar -The shrine of Lord Narasimha
Swamy is situated outside the main sanctum sanctorum near the main door.
2) Lord Ayyappa - The temple has a separate shrine
for Sree Dharma Sastha.
3) Lord Ganesh - The temple of Sree Maha
Ganapathi is on the left side while entering from
the main entrance.
4) Lord Krishna - The shrine of Sree Krishna is
situated near the South Entrance of the temple.
5) The shrine of Lord Rama, Seeta Devi and
Lakshmana are inside the main sanctum sanctorum.
6) Sree
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
also has a shrine dedicated to Sage Veda Vyasa.
Other deities enshrined in the temple include Lord
Hanuman, Lord Garuda, Kshetrapalan (who guards the temple), and Vishwaksena.
Here are the details of Poojas that can be
performed by devotees at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
in Trivandrum.
General Archanas
Astothara Archana
Sahasranama Archana
Veeda Manthrarchana
Santhanagopala Archana
Vidhya Rahagopala Archana
Swayamvara Archana
Dhanwanthari Archana
Sudarshana Archana
Lekshminarayana Archana
Sooktam Archanas - Suktham
Purusha Sooktam
Bhoo Sooktha
Purusha Sooktam
Sree Sooktham
Bhaghya Sooktham
Aikyamathya Sooktham
Narayana Sooktham
Samvatha Sooktham
Abhishekams and Offerings
Aval (Sree Krishna Swamy)
Aravana
Panchamritham
Thrimadhuram
Unniyappam (Unni Appam)
Modakam (for Sree Ganapathi)
Paal Payasam
Ghee Payasama
Sharkara Payasam
Pongal
Ottayada
Idichu Pizhinja Payasam
Milk Abhishekam
Nei Vilakku
Vada Mala (Sree Hanuman Swamy)
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple Darshan Timings in
Morning
Sree Padmanabhaswamy
Temple opens daily at 03:30 AM and closes at 07:20 PM.
However, there are specific timings for darshan.
03:30 AM to 04:45 AM
06:30 AM to 07:00 AM
8.30 AM to 10:00 AM
10:30 AM to 11:00 AM
11:45 AM to 12:00 PM
Evening Darshan
Timings of Sri Padmanabha Swamy
Temple
05:00 PM to 06:15 PM
06:45 PM to 07:20 PM
Please note that the temple worship timings are
subject to change during festival occasion.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple Dress Code
Only Hindus are permitted inside the temple. And
dress codes are to be strictly followed before entering the temple. Men should
wear 'Mundu' or 'Dhoti' while visiting the temple. They also have to remove
shirt or t-shirt above waist. Women have to wear Sari (Saree), Mundum
Neriyathum (set-mundu), Skirt and Blouse, or Half Sari. This means no pants for
men or churidhar for women is allowed inside the temple.
Dhotis are available for rent near temple locker
room. Nowadays temple authorities allow to wear Dhotis over pants or churidhar
for the convenience of devotees.
Tags:Padmanabha temple treasure, padmanabha wealth., Padmanabhaswamy temple Trivandrum and its treasure and wealth., Thiruvananthapuraram treasure, trivandrum treasure, unearthed treasure of trivandrum,
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