Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Entrance of the temple
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DeityVishnu and Lakshmi
Governing bodyTravancore royal family
Location
LocationThiruvananthapuram
StateKerala
Country India
Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in Kerala
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Shown within Kerala
Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in India
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Padmanabhaswamy Temple (India)
Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in Asia
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Asia)
Geographic coordinates8°28′58″N 76°56′37″E / 8.48278°N 76.94361°E / 8.48278; 76.94361
Architecture
TypeFusion of Kerala architecture and Tamil architecture
Website
spstt.org
spst.in

The Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of Kerala, India. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams which are considered the sacred abodes of Vishnu in the Sri Vaishnava tradition. The name of the city of 'Thiruvananthapuram' in Malayalam and Tamil translates to "The City of Ananta" (Ananta being a form of Vishnu).[1] The temple is built in an intricate fusion of the Kerala style and the Dravidian style of architecture, featuring high walls, and a 16th-century gopuram.[2][3] While as per some traditions the Ananthapura temple in Kumbla in Kasaragod district in Kerala is considered as the original spiritual seat of the deity ("Mulasthanam"), architecturally to some extent, the temple is a replica of the Adikesava Perumal temple in Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu.[4] It is widely considered the world's richest Hindu temple.[5]

The principal deity is Padmanabhaswamy (Sanskrit: पद्मनाभस्वामि, IAST: Padmanābhasvāmi), a form of Vishnu enshrined in the "Anantashayana" posture, engaged in eternal yogic sleep on his serpent mount, Shesha.[6] Padmanabhaswamy is the tutelary deity of the Travancore royal family. The titular Maharaja of Travancore, Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, is the current trustee of the temple.

  1. ^ "About Thiruvananthapuram". Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  2. ^ Abram, David (1 November 2010). The Rough Guide to Kerala. Rough Guides UK. ISBN 9781405388047.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Bayi, Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi (1995). Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, India.
  5. ^ "Richest Hindu temple". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  6. ^ Ponmelil, V.A. "Temples of Kerala – Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple". Temples.newkerala.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.