Hindu temple
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Also known as Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Ananta Padmanabha.
In short
Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram enshrines Vishnu as Anantha Padmanabha, reclining on the serpent Shesha. One of the 108 Divya Desams, it is renowned for its Dravidian–Kerala architecture and as one of the richest temples in the world.
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Key facts
- Presiding deity
- Vishnu
- Significance
- A Divya Desam — one of the 108 holy abodes of Vishnu
- Location
- Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Significance
Vishnu reclines here in yoga-nidra upon Ananta, the great serpent, with Brahma rising on a lotus from his navel (padma-nabha); the vast deity is viewed through three separate doors.
A Divya Desam sung by the Alvar saints, it gives Thiruvananthapuram ('the city of Ananta') its name; the royal house of Travancore ruled as servants of the Lord, Padmanabha Dasa.
History
An ancient shrine named in Tamil Sangam and Alvar literature, the present granite temple was largely built and expanded by the Travancore kings in the 18th century in the Dravidian style.
How to reach
In central Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, which has its own international airport and a major railway station.
Related
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About Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Which deity is at Padmanabhaswamy Temple?
Vishnu, worshipped as Anantha Padmanabha — reclining on the serpent Ananta (Shesha), with Brahma on a lotus from his navel.
Where is the Padmanabhaswamy Temple?
In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, in the south of the city; the city has its own international airport and railway station.
Offer a prayer to Vishnu
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