Padmanabhaswamy Temple: Heritage & Mystery

 

The wealthiest temple in the world today was not so in the near past. It is a beautiful architectural structure which houses the idol of Lord Vishnu in its most pristine form – Anantha Shaynam which is the eternal yogic sleep upon the serpent God Ananthan. The Ananthapura Lake temple in Kasargode is said to be the original seat of Padmanabhaswamy and is called its Moolasthanam. The name of the city Thiruvananthapuram is based on the temple which means, place where one can find the Lord resting on Anantha. 

All major Hindu texts like the Skanda purana have the mention of this temple but the exact date of its consecration is not clear as there is a dearth in historical records for this to be substantiated. The Sangam literature of the 9th century has reference to the temple in its writings & is mentioned as a temple built of gold. The temple is also one among the 108 holy abodes (Divya deshams) in Vaishnavism. The earliest reconstruction of the temple is said to have been made in the 10th century. The idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy was made of wood based on the story of Iluppu tree forming the idol & it was so large that upkeep of the idol became a cause of concern. It was in the 15th century that the need to build a higher roof over the temple was discussed & the Venad king made arrangements to the construction. For this construction, the idol of Padmanabhaswamy is said to have been brought out to the Balalaya. Once the construction of the roof was done, the idol was placed in the magnificent Ottakal Mandapam which one sees now with 3 doors to view the Lord. The work on the gopuram started in the 16th century & the Venad kings initiated the construction. The gopuram has a total of over 2000 carvings from Gods & Goddesses to Mythical creatures. The whole temple was completely destroyed in the 17th century by a raging fire but the idol miraculously was left untouched. The reconstruction of the temple took many years and was completed by the end of the Vanchinad rule. The Gopuram & whole temple complex was again reconstructed & beatified by the Travancore King Marthanda Varma. For attaining this, the idol was again taken out from the temple & the wooden idol was replaced with a structure made of highly complex amalgam called the Katusarkarayogams which is said to contain 12008 salagrams inside it. The Salagrams used in the construction are said to have been brought from the Gandaki River which flows from the Himalayas. It is said that over 100 elephants & 4000 sculptors were employed in completing the temple & the work done by them can be clearly seen in the beauty of each part of the temple. The flag staff itself is a story of unique craftsmanship, the staff is a single trunk of Teakwood which was brought to the temple from the forests without touching any other tree on its way to keep its sanctity.  The Flagstaff was then erected & gold panels were added on them. 

The temple is a blend of Dravidian & Kerala style of architecture with high walls & stone pillars. The gopuram is said to have been erected in the 16th century. The temple is a combination of stone & brass materials with carvings, paintings & mural work adorning all parts of the temple. The indulgence in use of Granite can be seen in the eastern side of the sanctum which has 365 granite pillars with a different carving depicting each day of the year. The temple apart from the high stone pedestal one sees in front of the deity is also known for the unique navagraha mandapam which displays the nine grahas on the ceiling.

The idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy is placed inside the garbhagriha shown as residing on the five hooded Adi Shesha having all its heads facing inwards which is a way to show contemplation of being the carrier of the Lord. The ottakal mandapam divides the view of the idol into 3 parts & devotees walk along the length viewing the lord through each door. The Lord has his right hand over a Shiv Lingam & is shown in eternal sleep with his two consorts, Goddess Lakshmi & Bhoomidevi. Lord Brahma is seen emanating from the Lord’s navel & is seated on a lotus flower. The name Padmanabha comes from this depiction of having Lotus seated Brahma from his Nabhi (navel). The idol also has the presence of Garuda, the vehicle of the Lord & the eternal sage Narada who forms a great bond with the Lord is seen near the feet of the Idol.

The temple front gopuram is built in Dravidian style while the other three entry gates have Kerala architecture styles with two-tier padipuras. A close look at the top of the Gopuram gives one the essence of the Venad rulers with the symbol of their kingdom – the vanchi (or long boat) adorned on top. The stone walls around the temple are also an integral part of the temple which has withstood the times. The temple pond is as auspicious as the temple & is called Padmatheertham. The lower entry gopuram is called Naatakashala as it resembles the old halls.

It is said that Lord Parasurama purified the idol in Dvaparyugam which would have been too long ago. The most common story of its origin is related to Vilwamangalam Swamiyar who was a Brahmin sage & is associated with many temples. The story of the temple is also related to Diwakar swami who was a Tulu Brahmin residing at Kasargode. As per legends Lord Krishna is said to have played in their ashram as a small boy who was quite mischievous, but he was allowed to stay in the ashram as he had a divine aura around him. The child had also told them that he would disappear if scolded by them. One day the child while playing kicked the salagrama of the sage & disturbed the penance, angry about this Vilwamangalam Swamiyar pushed the boy with his hand. The child instantly disappeared & only a divine voice echoed saying “if you want to see me again, come to the forests of Anantha”. Realising his mistake, Swamiyar feeling dejected followed the voice to Ananthankadu. He walked along the coast & kept following the sound of the bells which the child had on his anklets. As he wandered, he heard a lady scolding her child saying if he did not mend his ways, she would throw him in Ananthankadu. Realising that he was close, Swamiyar approached the lady who gave Swamiyar directions & a light wick to Ananthankadu. He walked along & as he got close saw the child running into an Illuppu tree, he walked to the tree & with a loud thud the tree fell to form the most elegant form of Lord Vishnu lying majestically on the king of serpents. The edifice of the structure was so huge that Swamiyar could not behold the whole idol in a single vision. It is said that the edifice was so large that the body was in Thiruvananthapuram & stretched from Kulathoor to Thuckalay. The sage requested his Lord to form a smaller size to appreciate the beauty & Lord Vishnu is said to have obliged. He shrunk to a smaller form but the illuppu trees still divided the vision into three parts - the face (thirumugam), the body (thiruvoodal) & the feet (thirupadham). The temple of Sree Padmanabhaswamy still retains this view as Swamiyar saw with three chambers assigned to devotees as one cannot contain the whole of the Lord in one single sight. The story of Diwakar Swami is no different to that of Vilwamangalam, the reason for this connection can be seen in the rituals conducted by Tulu Brahmins at the temple which is in respect to Diwakar Swami who was a Tulu Brahmin. Vilwamangalam is said to have attained Samadhi near the west of the temple & a Krishna temple was built over his Samadhi to respect him. It is said that when Lord Vishnu gave darshan to Swamiyar he had nothing to offer his Lord other than some ripe mangoes he had taken from a tree. He is said to have offered these mangoes to the Lord which is still followed by devotees as the most important offering to the lord here. The person who conducts the morning Pushpanjali at the temple is called Pushpanjali Swamiyar, recognition to Vilwamangalam & is given a place among the Ettarayogam who were responsible for the governance of the temple. The importance of Swamiyar in the consecration of the temple is thus important & makes the legend believable for all. 

The old temple would have been a simple structure only to hold the idol of Lord Vishnu but the current structure was built by the Travancore family & the relation of the deity with the royal family is one that brought about the transformation of the temple. The Travancore family attained the rights of the temple after the Venad rulers lost importance & Marthanda Varma initiated the rise of the Travancore kingdom. In the 14th century, the Venad king is said to have initiated the 10 days festival at the temple. In 1729 Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma took the throne & immediately decided to end the stranglehold of Ettuveetl Pillamaars who were over generations taking care of the functionaries of the family. As the Pilamaars were sidelined, they grew increasingly unhappy & conspired to end Marthanda Varma’s reign which became known by the King & he exiled the Pillamaars from Travancore. This led to clashes with many feudal lords waging war with Marthanda Varma. To stop his adversaries attacking him & the kingdom, it is said Marthanda Varma found a very lucrative way by deciding to surrender his Kingship & kingdom to Sree Padmanabhaswamy. So as per his decision, Marthanda Varma the erstwhile king of Travancore in 1750 surrendered his kingdom to the Lord & pledged that he & his descendants will be just the agents of the Lord to serve the kingdom as Padmanabhadasa. As per his last wish, he furthered this pledge by asking all his successors to dedicate themselves to the Lord & all donations received or acquisitions made by the kingdom would be done in the name of Padmanabhaswamy. From the date of the pledge, all rulers including Marthanda Varma have been given the title Sree Padmanabha Dasa & female members have been titled Sree Padmanabha Sevinis. The major reconstruction of the temple was conducted during the reign of Marthanda Varma during his rule of Travancore. The Travancore family’s devotion to the Lord is such that only the King of Travancore can prostrate on the Ottakal Mandapam as only a person who has surrendered his all can perform sashtanga namaskaram which is a virtue only associated with the Royal family. 

The temple's annual festivals are a sight of color & devotion. One among the many festivals associated with the temple is the Panguni festival which is related to the Venad rulers belief & the Travancore Maharajah on the ninth day has to escort the deities for Pallivettah. The last day of the festival culminates in the Araat which is the annual bath of the deities in Shanghumugham beach. This procession is one which cannot be missed as the King himself escorts the procession bare footed. The Navratri festival is also celebrated with grandeur here along with the biggest festival of Laksha deepam which happens every six years and involves lighting of countless lamps around the temple. The temple entry to devotees also has specific rules which have been followed to the “T” over the centuries. Only people who profess in the Hindu faith can enter the temple & strict dress code of white dhoti for men & Sari for women has to be followed. The reason for this dress code as per scriptures is that lord wants his devotees to enter with no inhibitions of mind & body. 

Lately the temple has been a place for all the controversies, some difficult to understand & some quite unbelievable. The assets of the temple were a property of the Royal Travancore family but based on a petition in the Supreme Court the assets were divested. The point of claim was the fact that all the assets of the temple belonged to its subjects & since there was no Kingship anymore it belonged to the state. The litigations were based on the presence of invaluable treasures said to have been stored in the vaults of the temple. For centuries people have wanted to get their hands on these treasures & it is believed that Marthanda Varma understood the importance of saving the treasures & so decided to surrender his all to the Lord. It is said that the temple holds six vaults, some have been closed for centuries & some have been opened over the years for temple rituals. Based on the ruling of the court it was decided to open the vaults for bookkeeping purposes & understand the value of the items. The vaults were named as A, B, C, D, E & F. Apart from these vaults ante chambers showed the presence of two more vaults & were named G & H. The vault A is said to have been opened earlier & its possessions were valued by the Royal family. When the time for vaults to be opened came, the Royal family & priests protested regarding the B vault as it is said to be cursed. The court stayed the opening of the B vault for the time being. The other vaults were opened & what came forward was the unimaginable value of the items in these vaults. The Padmanabhaswamy temple before the vaults were opened was finding it difficult to undertake its daily operations due to the dearth in funds but the opening of a single vault made it the richest temple in the world. The items found included a solid pure golden idol of Mahavishnu, diamonds, precious stones, gems, gold ornaments, rubies, emeralds, coins from different eras, ritualistic items made in gold & many other precious items. There were also many royal items in the vaults which included gold studded thrones, crowns, weapons, household items etc. The total value of items is still unclear but it surpasses most temple processions manifolds if one takes into account the cultural & antique value today. The items are said to have been accumulated over centuries in way of donations to the deity by various rulers & visitors over thousands of years. One glance at the items can also substantiate the visits of people from all over the world to the temple with the existence of gifts from Mesopotamia, China, Rome & Europe. The existence of some of the items date back to Neolithic times & bring out a doubt on how such items found their place in the vault. It just makes one wonder when the temple actually existed & if it was around 5000 years how have these items still stayed intact in vaults over these many years. The vault B is still untouched & as per popular belief it is the vault which possesses valuables surpassing the total of all what was found in any of the other vaults put together. The serpent guarding the vault also invokes a legend that the opening of the vault may result in release of a curse as the vault has the presence of devas inside which was accomplished by Balarama who had visited the temple. Legends, myths & stories apart, the temple today is more of a fortress than a place of divinity with heavily guarded personnel looking after the safety of the temple.  

The visit to the temple for all its devotees is a walk back to the past & to ponder on the architectural grandeur of the place. The vaults & its valuables may be the most talked about regarding the temple but the value of the temple is in the stories associated with its existence and the peace one finds as you walk along its corridors. So visit the most visited place in Trivandrum to be part of heritage.

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