WORLD’S RICHEST TEMPLE Sri padmanabha swami Temple

Thiruvananthapuram, being a Divya Desam, has always been sacred by the presence of Sri Padmanabha Swami (God Mahavishnu). That was why Lord Balarama is said to have visited this holy place long ago during the Dwapara Yuga. But Sri Padmanabha manifested in the form of an idol much much later, during the time of Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar alias Divakara Muni.

Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar, residing near Ananthapuram Temple, Kasargod prayed to Lord Vishnu for his darshan. The Lord came in disguise as a small, mischievous boy. The boy defiled the Saligrama which was kept for Puja. The Sage became enraged at this and chased away the boy. The boy disappeared. After a long search, when he was walking on the banks of Arabian Sea, he heard a pulaya lady threatening her child that she would throw him in Ananthankadu. The moment the Swami heard the word Ananthankadu, he was delighted. He proceeded to Ananthankadu based on the directions of the lady from whom he enquired. The Sage reached Ananthankadu searching for the boy. There he saw the boy merging into an Iluppa tree (Indian Butter Tree). The tree fell down and became Anantha Sayana Moorti (Vishnu reclining on Anantha). But the Lord was of an extraordinarily large size with head at Thiruvallom, navel at Thiruvanananthapuram and lotus-feet at Thrippadapuram (Thrippappur). The Sage requested the Lord to shrink to a smaller proportion – thrice the length of his staff. Immediately, the Lord shrank. But even then many Iluppa trees obstructed a complete vision of the Lord. The Sage saw the Lord in three parts – thirumukham, thiruvudal and thrippadam. Swami prayed to Padmanabha to be forgiven . The Swami offered Rice Kanji and Uppumanga (salted mango pieces) in a coconut shell to the Perumal which he obtained from the pulaya woman. The spot where the Sage had darsan of the Lord belonged to Koopakkara Potti and Karuva Potti. With the assistance of the reigning King and some Brahmin households a Temple was constructed. Koopakkara Potti was made the Tantri of the Temple.

West Door / Nada

Ananthankadu Nagaraja Temple still exists to the north west of Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The Samadhi (final resting place) of the Swamiyar exists to the west of the Sri Padmanabha Temple. A Krishna Temple was built over the Samadhi. This Temple, known as Vilvamangalam Sri Krishna Swami Temple, belongs to Thrissur tanee Naduvil Madhom.

Sree Padmanabha ranks one among the 24 concepts of Maha Vishnu. Here He is visualized as ‘Santaswaroopa Paramananda Yogamoorthy’, who is the embodiment of supreme bliss and peace. He is conceptualised as reclining on the serpent Anantha in conscious cosmic slumber prior to His incarnation as Sri Rama. He is known as ‘Padmanabha’ since a Padmam (lotus) sprouts from his Nabhi (navel).

In the sanctum sanctorum, Sri Padmanabha reclines on the serpent Anantha or Adi Sesha. The serpent has five hoods facing inwards, signifying contemplation. The Lord's right hand is placed over a Shiva lingam and from his right hand flowers are falling on the shiva lingam which indicates that HE is worshiping God Shiva. Sridevi, the Goddess of Prosperity and Bhudevi the Goddess of Earth, two consorts of Vishnu are by his side. God Brahma emerges on a lotus, which emanates from the navel of the Lord. The deity is made from 12,000 saligramams. These saligrams are from the banks of the Gandaki River in Nepal, and to commemorate this certain rituals used to be performed at the Pashupatinath Temple. The deity of Sri Padmanabha is covered with, "Katusarkara yogam", a special ayurvedic mix, which forms a plaster that keeps the deity clean. The daily worship is with flowers and for the abhishekam, special deities are used.

The platforms in front of the vimanam and where the deity rests, are both carved out of a single massive stone and hence called "Ottakkal-mandapam." The Ottakkal-mandapam were cut out of a rock at Thirumala, about 4 miles north of the temple, measuring 20 feet square and 2.5 feet thick was brought and placed in front of the deity in the month of Edavom 906 M.E. (1731 AD) In order to perform darshan and puja, one has to ascend the to the mandapam. The Deity is visible through three doors – the visage of the reclining Lord and Siva Linga underneath the hand is seen through the first door; Sridevi and Divakara Muni in Katusarkara, Brahma seated on a lotus emanating from the Lord's navel, hence the name, "Padmanabha", gold abhisheka moorthies of Lord Padmanabha, Sridevi and Bhudevi, and silver utsava moorthi of Padmanabha through the second door; the Lord's feet, and Bhudevi and Kaundinya Muni in Katusarkara through the third door. Only the King of Travancore may perform sashtanga namaskaram, or prostrate on the "Ottakkal Mandapam". It is traditionally held that anybody who prostrates on the mandapam has surrendered all that he possesses to the Deity. Since the ruler has already done that, he is permitted to prostrate on this mandapam.

South Door/ Nada

Among the six kallaras or chambers in the Temple, the Mahabharata Konathu Kallara is very closely associated with Sri Padmanabhaswamy. It is not a part of the Temple Treasury. The holy Chamber houses a Srichakram, an idol of Sri Padmanabha and many valuables meant to enhance the potency of the Principal Deity. It has in it the presence of many gods and sages worshipping the Lord. Kanjirottu Yakshi also resides in the Chamber worshipping Lord Narasimha. The enchanting and ferocious forms of this Yakshi are painted on the south-west part of the main Sanctum.

East Door

Inside the Temple, there are two other important shrines, Thekkedom and Thiruvambadi, for the Deities, Sree Yoga Narasimha and Sree Krishna Swami respectively. One of the duties assigned to Lord Narasimha is the protection of the Mahabharata Konathu Kallara. Thiruvambadi shrine enjoys an independent status and predates the shrine of Sri Padmanabha. Thiruvambadi shrine has its own namaskara mandapam, bali stones and flagmast. The Lord of Thiruvambadi is Parthasarathi, the Divine Charioteer of Arjuna. The granite idol of the Lord of Thiruvambadi was brought from Gujarat by seventy two families of Vrishni Vamsa Kshatriyas. As these Vrishnies belong to the lineage of Lord Krishna, they are known as Krishnan vakakkar. The two-armed granite idol, with one hand holding the whip and the other resting on the left thigh holding the conch close to it, is in standing posture. On Ekadasi days the Lord is dressed and decorated as Mohini. There are also shrines for Sree Rama accompanied by Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman, Vishwaksena (the Nirmalyadhari of Vishnu and Remover of Obstacles), Vyasa, Ganapati, Sasta and Kshetrapala (who guards the temple). Grand idols of Garuda and Hanuman stand with folded hands in the Valiya balikkal area.

The inside of the Moola Vigraham, hailed as a marvel in iconography, is lined with 12008 Salagramams taken from the Gandaki river bed in Nepal and sent to this place on elephant back by the Nepal king as a submission to the Deity. It is believed that Lord Vishnu lives in the Salagramam stones. It is also believed that in case Salagramam is used in the making of an idol, it does not require separate consecration.

In this temple, the Moola Vigraham itself contains 12008 Salagramams and has been the recipient of the most elaborate rituals which adhere to the prescribed codes of Vaishnava worship. As such it imbibes the lustrous nature and power of a thousand Mahakshetras. 

The Siva linga beside the main deity is also made of rare Saiva Salagramam.

The Salagramams used for making the idol are joined together with a highly complex amalgam known as Kutusarkara Yogam. This method adopted for creation of the idol is special to Kerala. It involves invocation of the minute internal features and organs of human body into the idol in a scientific manner according to rights. The idol has not been made of metal or stone as in other temples. Wood selected from a place where trees like Karinjali, Devadaram and sandal abound has been used for making the frame work or skeleton for casting the idol. Following this, the seven main nerves have been made. Extracts of several herbs and different types of soil in addition to kuntirikkam, gulgulu, molasses, lac, nalpamara, oil, ghee, honey, yavam, wheat, dried ginger, pepper, truppali, camphor, vermillion, sandal paste, gorochanam, and sand brought from different places have been ground into a paste and smeared on the idol. Afterwards, powdered conch shell was used to whiten the idol. The process is very complicated. The underlying idea is to give a coating of natural medicines to the idol just as the human body is protected by such herbs. This process of construction has been employed very rarely. All the idols of the temple except the three idols used for daily pooja, idol used for seeveli and the two idols of Garuda used for procession have been made adopting the Kutusarkara Yogam technique. Historians point out that this rare technique has become obscure with the passage of time.

Ananta, the serpent is a Nitya Jeevatman which represents Anantham or infinity. His five hoods are symbolic of ‘Panchendriyas’ (the five sense organs) or the five ‘Panchabhootas’ (the five basic elements). Its mighty form has three coils which represent the Trigunas (three qualities namely Satwa, Rajas and Tamas) that can juggle the mind of man. As the sovereign of the cosmos, Sri Padmanabha Perumal reclines on eternity itself symbolised by Ananta.

The Deity can be viewed only through the three Nadas (doorways). They represent mighty time, past, present and future.

For centuries, the ‘Tantries’ of this great temple have been drawn from the Illam of Tarananallor Nampoothiripads of Irinjalakkuda village (one among the three famous Agnihotri villages of Kerala, the other two being Peruvanam and Sukapuram). Here the Tantries adhere to the system of Tantra known as ‘Padhati Sampradayam’, which was passed on to their forefathers by word of mouth by Sri Parasurama. The movements and life style of Tantri, who reigns supreme in the affairs of the temple, is severely restricted during their tenure of office. He is required to observe strict celibacy and shall not move out without holding an ‘Ola Kuda (circular cadjan leaf umbrella). Rarely do we come across temples where even in these modern times, the centuries-old practices are strictly followed. Apart from the Tantri, there are also Kuta Santhis, Periya Nambi (second in command), Panchagavyathu Nambi, Thekkedathu Nambi and Thiruvambadi Nambi for attending to different functions.

Offerings

When long back, the Lord appeared before a woman of low birth who was staying near the Anantan Kadu near the temple, she made an offering to Him in a coconut shell and that practice is still continued by making the first offering of a day to the deity in a coconut shell, the only difference being that the shell is studded with precious stones befitting the dignity of royals.

SHORT HISTORY

Dutch commander Eustachius de Lannoysurrenders to Marthanda Varma after theBattle of Colachel. A modern depiction atPadmanabhapuram palace, Kanyakumari

 The Kerala Mahatmyam (an Upa Purana deriving its origin from the Bhoogola Purana) is in the form of a discourse between Yudhishthira and the Sage Garga. It stated that Parashurama after founding Kerala divided the land into 64 gramas, crowned Bhanu Vicrama at Sreevardhanapuram (Padmanabhapuram), and styled him the Kovil Adhikarikal, i.e., the manager of the pagoda of Sreevalumcode (Thiruvananthapuram).

In the first half of the 18th century, in line with matrilineal customs, King Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, age 23, succeeded his uncle, King Rama Varma. He successfully suppressed the 700-year stranglehold of the Ettuveetil Pillais and his cousins following the discovery of conspiracies which the lords were involved in against the Royal House of Travancore. The last major renovation of the Padmanabhaswamy temple commenced immediately after Anizham Thirunal's accession to the musnud and the idol was reconsecrated in 906 M.E. (1731 AD). On 17 January 1750, Anizham Thirunal surrendered the kingdom of Travancore to Sree Padmanabha Swamy, the deity at the temple, and pledged that he and his descendants would be vassals or agents of the deity who would serve the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa. Since then, the name of every Travancore king was preceded by the title Padmanabha Dasa; the female members of the royal family were called Padmanabha Sevinis. The donation of the kingdom to Sree Padmanabhaswamy was known as Thrippadi-danam. The final wishes of Anizham Thirunal on his passing at the age of 53 clearly delineated the historical relationship between the Maharajah and the temple: "That no deviation whatsoever should be made in regard to the dedication of the kingdom to Sree Padmanabhaswamy and that all future territorial acquisitions should be made over to the Devaswom."

ASSETS

North Door

The temple and its assets belong to Lord Padmanabhaswamy, and are controlled by a trust run by the Royal family. T P Sundara Rajan's litigations changed the way the world looked at the Temple. The Kerala High Court ordered the temple and its assets be managed by the State on 31 January 2011. As trustees of the temple, the Travancore Royal family have challenged the Kerala High Court's decision in the Supreme Court of India.

Army protection

In June 2011, the Supreme Court directed the authorities from the archaeology department and fire services to open the secret chambers of the temple for inspection of the items kept inside.The temple has 6 vaults (Kallaras), labeled as A to F for book keeping purpose by the Court. While vaults A and B have been unopened over the past many years, vaults C to F have been opened from time to time. The two priests of the temple, the 'Periya Nambi' and the 'Thekkedathu Nambi', are the custodians of the four vaults, C to F, which are opened periodically. The Supreme Court had directed that "the existing practices, procedures and rituals" of the temple be followed while opening vaults C to F and using the articles inside. Vaults A and B shall be opened only for the purpose of making an inventory of the articles and then closed.

The review of the temple's underground vaults was undertaken by a seven-member panel appointed by the Supreme Court of India to generate an inventory, leading to the enumeration of a vast collection of articles that are traditionally kept under lock and key. A detailed inventory of the temple assets, consisting of gold, jewels, and other valuables was made. Several 18th century Napoleonic era coins were found, as well as a three-and-a-half feet tall gold idol of Mahavishnu studded with rubies and emeralds, and ceremonial attire for adorning the deity in the form of 16-part gold anki weighing almost 30 kilograms (66 lb) together with gold coconut shells, one studded with rubies and emeralds.

This revelation has solidified the status of the Padmanabhaswamy temple as one of the wealthiest temples in India and with the final estimate of the wealth, it might overtake the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple—hitherto thought to be the wealthiest temple—having some 32,000 crore or 320 billion (US$4.9 billion) in gold, coins and other assets. It is estimated that the value of the monumental items is close to 1.2 lakh crore or 1.2 trillion (US$18 billion), making it the richest temple in the world. If the antique value is taken into account, these assets could be worth ten times the current market price.

The valuables are thought to have been in the temple for hundreds of years, having been put there by the Maharajahs of Travancore.While some historians have suggested that a major chunk of the stored riches reached the kings in the form of tax, gifts, as well as conquered wealth of states and offerings stocked in the temple for safekeeping.But it has to be remembered that in Travancore a distinction was always made among Government Treasury (Karuvelam), Temple Treasury (Thiruvara Bhandaram or Sri Bhandaram) and the Royal Treasury (Chellam). During the reign of Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, hundreds of temples that were mismanaged were brought under the Government. The excess ornaments in these temples were transferred to the Vaults of Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Instead the funds of Sri Padmanabha Temple were utilised for the daily upkeep of these temples.

On 4 July 2011 the seven-member expert team tasked with taking stock of the temple assets decided to postpone opening of the Mahabharata Konathu Kallara or Chamber 'B'. This chamber is sealed with an iron door with the image of a cobra on it and it has not been opened, due to the belief opening it would result in much misfortune. The royal family said that many legends were attached to the temple and that chamber B has a model of a snake on the main door and opening it could be a bad omen. The seven-member team will consult with some more experts on 8 July 2011 and then they may take the final decision on opening of chamber ‘B’. An Ashtamangala Devaprasnam conducted in the Temple to discern the will of the Lord revealed that any attempts to open Chamber 'B' would cause Divine displeasure and that the holy articles in the other chambers were defiled in the inventorying process. The original petitioner whose court action led to the inventory taking, T.P. Sundarajan, died in July 2011, adding credence to those who believe in the folklore around the temple.

The Kerala High Court ruled in 2011 that the state government should take over the control of the temple and its assets, but the Travancore royal family appealed to the Supreme Court. An independent report was commissioned, and was completed in November 2012, finding no evidence that the royal family were expropriating the treasures.

As of July 2012, inventorization and valuation of the items in vaults C, D E and F were 90% complete, while formal inventorization of vault A was underway, and vault B was yet to be opened. The results of the inventory are not to be released until the completion of the whole process by order of the Supreme Court of India.

 Thrippadapuram 

Thrippadapuram temple

Thrippadapuram Temple is situated near kazhakuttoom, Trivandrum. If Sri Padmanabhaswamy's (MahaVishnu's) navel is in Padmanabhaswamy Temple then the holy lotus feet of God is at Thrippadapuram Temple. The temple has God Shiva as the main deity in his most angry form. An idol of Lord Krishna(incarnation or avatar of Mahavishnu) with a flute is placed opposite to the Shiva linga. Its believed that Lord Krishna plays the flute and the beautiful music calms down the anger of God Shiva. The stories of  God Shiva of Thrippadapuram is very famous. The God is said to grant his true devotees with great fortunes. 

Thiruvallam Sree Parasurama Swamy Temple

Thiruvallam Sree Parasurama temple

The most famous Parasurama Temple in Kerala is the Thiruvallam Sree Parasurama Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram district. This temple is situated at Thiruvallam in Thiruvananthapuram City on Kazhakkuttam-Kovalam By-pass. The temple is located at the Triveni Sangama of rivers Karamana, Killi and Parvathiputhanar. The main speciality of this temple is that it is a Trimurthy Trmple were God Shiva, God Vishnu and God Brahma has seperate shrines.

This temple has strong connection with Sri Padmanabhaswami Temple. The head part of Sri Padmanabhaswami is at Thiruvallam.

Swami Nalanda:

"The idol was so long that its head was in Thiruvallam (5 km away from east fort) and 

feet in Trippappur (13 km away from east fort, near Kazhakkuttam) and the middle part 

in Ananthankadu (where the present Padmanabhaswami Temple is situated)."

"Devotees must visit Trippapur, Thiruvananthapuram and Thiruvallam temples in a single day to get the full blessings of Lord Padmanabha and Lord Mahadeva."