Ananta Padmanabha Swamy temple,Thiruvanantapuram. Lakshadeepam literally translates as one lakh (one hundred thousand) lamps. The entire temple is adorned with one lakh (one hundred thousand) oil lamps in and around temple. The maiden Lakshadeepam was celebrated on the first of Makaram 925 ME / 14th or 15th of January 1750 AD. The festival was conducted with much pomp and fanfare, in the grandest manner possible by King Marthanda Varma. This mega festival is observed on the concluding day of Murajapam. Murajapam is a holy prayer offered to the Lord Sri Ananta Padmanabha Swamy once in 6 years which comprises chanting of 3 Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda) and Vishnu Sahasranamam for a period of 56 days which ends on the day of Makara Sankranti in the month of January. Laksha Deepam festival is celebrated on the day of Makara Sankranti. On this auspicious day, the entire temple is adorned with one lakh (one hundred thousand) oil lamps in and around temple. This festival still continues as an immensely grand festival and visual magnitude attracting staggering numbers to the doors of this great temple.

Laksha Deepam festival at Sri Ananta Padmanabha Swamy Temple

Paraphernalia used in the service of Lord Sri Ananta Padmanabha Swamy

Sri Ananta Padmanabha Swamy Maha-Prasadam

The original Deity made of Iluppa wood was replaced with a new one in the year 1729 AD because a mystical fire in the temple damaged the original Deity. The new Deity (as per the revelation in the priest’s dream) is made up of 12,008 Saligrams. 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 “katu sharkara yogam“, a special ayurvedic mix, was used to give a plaster. The consecration was conducted by Tanthri (chief priest) Tarananallur Padmanabharu Parameswararu in year 1739. Given the huge size of Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswamy, one is able to have the full darshan of the Lord from three different openings- Head from the southern side, the body from middle door and the legs from a third entrance. The Eighteen feet long Deity of Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy is covered with gold and invaluable precious stones and the Anantha is covered with silver plates. Since the Deity was made of Katu Sharkara Yogam, no abhishekham is carried out on this 18 feet long deity. Hence the thick smoke from camphor, lamps and agarbathis over the centuries gave a black color to the Deity. The temple faces east and surrounded by massive fort walls. The area covered by its enclosures is about 7 acres. The temple has a seven-tier gopuram.

Sri Ananta Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Trivandrum

East Gopuram at Sri Ananta Padmanabha Swamy Temple

Sacred Padma Theertha Kula

Utsava Deities – Lord Nrsimhadeva Swamy and Lord Sri Ananta Padmanabha Swamy after coming from Shankumuka Beach during Aarat Festival

According to the Brahmanda Purana the story of this temple is revealed. In Karnataka there was a sage named Divakar. Every day he worshiped the Supreme Lord. One day his beloved Lord disguised Himself as a very beautiful boy. He attracted the heart of Divakar like no one else. Every day that little boy came and Divakar’s love was growing. One day this little child told him “I have no father, mother and no place of residence. I am just all alone wandering.” Divakar said to the small child “I will take care of you, stay with me”. The child said “I will stay with you if you promise me that you will never chastise me for anything I do. If you chastise me I will leave.” Divakar said, “I promise that I will never chastise you.”

This boy was very naughty. But Divakar was in ecstasy by seeing the naughtiness due to his love for him. But the child really tested him. One day Divakar was doing worship and he was alarmed to see that his ‘saligram sila’ was missing. He was searching and he found that the little boy was sucking the saligram. Divakar immediately chastised Him. The child told Divakar that since he has violated his promise, He will now leave.

Saying those words,the child ran away and Divakar ran after him. As the boy was running, His waist bells and ankle bells were tinkling. Divakar’s heart was charmed; he could not live without the child. The child told him, “If you ever want to see me again you should look for me in the Ananta forest.” Then the child disappeared.

Divakar was searching everywhere; he spent rest of his life looking for this Ananta forest. He had never heard of such a place. He was walking and asking everyone. He came all the way down to southern part of Kerala, which is today Thiruvananthapuram. He came to a village where a very simple tribal woman was chastising her son, “You are so naughty. Next time if you do this, I am going to throw you into the Ananta forest.” When Divakar heard that he became very enlivened. He was a saint, a sannyasi and he approached this lady and said, “I will give you all blessings but please tell me where is this Ananta forest?” Tribal lady told him how to get there.

The forest was very dark, Divakar had a single wick. He went into the forest searching for the child. Suddenly he heard the tinkling of the waist bells and the ankle bells. He went into ecstasy and started looking from where that sound was coming. Suddenly an Ilupa tree fell to the ground with a massive crash and from the tree, radiant effulgence blinded Divakar. When the effulgence flashed by, he saw the deity of Ananta Padmanabha was manifested from the tree.

The deity was very huge with head in one village, His feet were in another village and His waist was in the Ananta forest. According to the records, he was approximately 18 km long. Divakar took unripe mango and then he grabbed a coconut shell and made a little plate and put the salty mango in the coconut shell and offered it with love and devotion. Divakar requested the Lord to reduce in size so that he could worship Him and serve Him. Lord immediately accepted his prayers and reduced Himself in size. Divakar had a stick and the Lord reduced to three times the length of that stick. Till this day, naivedyam or offering prepared from rice is offered to the Deity here in a coconut shell.

Sri Ananta Padmanabha temple is one of the most prominent temples of India. It is considered as one of the 108 Vaishnava temples (divya sthanam), one of the seven moksha sthalas and one of the six Narayana sthalas. Lord Balarama, Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited this temple. The temple is located inside the east fort in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It is the holiest abodes of Lord Vishnu. The main deity, Sri Padmanabhaswamy, is a form of Vishnu in Anantha sayanam posture (in yogic eternal sleep of yoga-nidra). This is an ancient temple and the city of Thiruvananthapuram derives its name from the name of the presiding Deity enshrined in the temple. This city is also called Syanandoora puram.
Inside the temple altar, Lord Vishnu is in a reclining position over Ananta Shesha. He is enjoying the aroma emanating from the lotus held in His left hand, and His right hand is blessing Lord Siva. There are three doors through which we can have the darshan – the Lord’s face, then His Navel and His lotus feet. Through the first door, the worship is offered to Siva; through the second entrance Brahma prays to Lord Vishnu from his lotus navel, and through the third door is Lord Vishnu’s lotus feet, which are the only shelter and suitable means for a devotee of Lord by which one can cross over the ocean of material existence. Sri Devi and Bhu Devi, the two consorts of Lord Vishnu stand by His side and Lord Brahma is seen on a lotus, which emanates from the navel of Vishnu. Sages Bhrigu, Markandeya and assembly of celestials like Narada etc. are also present.
Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is considered as one of the seven Parasurama Kshetras. Texts including the Puranas, particularly the Skanda Purana,Padma Purana, Vayu Purana, Varaha Purana and Brahmanda Purana have references to this holy site. In the Padma Purana, there is reference to the temple of Ananta sayanam, where the Lord Vishnu is having his yoga-nidra. In the Skanda Purana, Sethu Mahatmya, Brahmakhanda Chapter-52, verses 102 to 105 indicates the most important places of pilgrimages which include the Ananta Padmanabha Swamy temple. It is also mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam canto 10 chapter 79 that Lord Balarama visited “Syanandoorapuram” in the course of His pilgrimage. An entire chapter named Anantapura Mahatmyam in Brahmanda Purana is dedicated to this temple.
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came here to Sri Ananta Padmanabha temple during His South India tour as mentioned in Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya Lila 9.241-242. Lord spent two to three days before the beautiful darshan of Sri Ananta Padmanabha Swamy in chanting and dancing to the kirtan of the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Here, Lord Vishnu gave darshan to sages like Divakar Muni and Bilvamangala Thakur.