Anantha Padmanabhaswamy

Anantha Padmanabhaswamy (transl. One who rests on Anantha and has a lotus in his navel), is a form of Vishnu worshipped mainly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He is the presiding deity of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.^[2] This form of Vishnu shows him in the in the Anantha Shayanam (cosmic sleep) posture.

Padmanabhaswamy is considered the principal and national deity of the Royal Family of Travancore.^[3] Each king from the kingdom, will take up the name of Dasa which is "servant" and often referred to as Padmanabhaswamy Dasa which translates to servants of Padmanabhaswamy.^[4] This dedication began in January 1750 when king Marthanda Varma surrendered his kingdom to the deity.

Padmanabhaswamy is considered as the world's richest and wealthiest god with a trillion amount worth of fortunes from gold, diamond and jewellery.^[5][6]

The main idol of the deity is a 18-foot-long image of Lord Vishnu reclining on the five-headed serpent, Shesha, facing inward to symbolise meditation.^[7] Anantha Padmanabhaswamy is in a state of Anantha Shayanam (cosmic sleep) on the Shesha, symbolising the sustenance of the universe. The idol is made with Katusarkara Yogam, a special Ayurvedic mix that forms a protective plaster. It is believed to be made of 12,008 Shaligram stones from the Gandaki River in Nepal.^[8]

They deity is viewed from 3 doors in the temple since it is 18-foot-long. The first door shows the head and chest of the deity, the second door shows the hands, the third and final door shows the feet.^[9]

The right hand of the Anantha Padmanabhaswamy is rested upon a Shiva Lingam, this unity shows the connection and harmony between the both Hindu sects of Vaishnavism and Shaivism. Where else, his left hand holds a Lotus flower.

On the navel of the deity a Lotus emanates, which lord Brahma who is the creator of the universe is seated, signifying the birth of the universe.

It is believed that Parasurama purified and venerated the idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy in Dvapara Yuga. Parasurama entrusted 'Kshethra karyam' (Administration of the Temple) to seven Potti families – Koopakkara Potti, Vanchiyoor Athiyara Potti, Kollur Athiyara Potti, Muttavila Potti, Karuva Potti, Neythasseri Potti and Sreekaryathu Potti. King Adithya Vikrama of Vanchi (Venad) was directed by Parasurama to do 'Paripalanam' (Protection) of the Temple. Parasurama gave the Tantram of the Temple to Tharananallur Namboothiripad. This legend is narrated in detail in the Kerala Mahathmyam which forms part of the Brahmanda Puranam.

Another version regarding the consecration of the principal idol of the Temple relates to the legendary sage Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar. Swamiyar, who resided near Ananthapuram Temple in Kasaragod District, prayed to Vishnu for his darshan or "auspicious sight". The deity is believed to have come to Swamiyar in the guise of a little boy who was mischievous and charming. The devout sage wished that the boy stay with him. The boy agreed upon the condition that He be treated with the utmost respect, and if that promise were to ever be broken, the boy would immediately vanish. But soon his antics became unbearable for the sage, he reacted furiously. the boy disappeared from there.^[10] Realising the boy was no ordinary mortal, the sage wept for forgivenes. He heard a voice say "If you want to see me come to the Ananthavanam (the unending forest or Ananthankadu). After a long search, when he was walking on the banks of the Laccadive Sea, heard a pulaya lady Scolding her child that "If you cry any more, I will throw you into Ananthankadu."

The moment the Swami heard the word Ananthankadu he was delighted. He proceeded to Ananthankadu based on the directions of the lady and reached Ananthankadu. There he saw the child merging into an ilippa tree (Indian butter tree, Scientific Name: Madhuca longifolia). Soon the tree fell down and Ananta Padmanabhaswami (Lord Vishnu, is reclining on the celestial snake Anantha ) appeared. But figure of the deity was extraordinarily large size, with His head at Thiruvattar near Thuckalay Tamil Nadu, body (udal) at Thiruvananthapuram, and his feet at Thrippadapuram (Thrippappur) near Kulathoor and Technopark

The figure was about eight miles long. So he could not see it completely. The sage requested the Lord to shrink in a proportion that would be thrice the length of his staff. Immediately the deity shrank to the form of the idol that is seen at present in the Temple. Even then many iluppa trees obstructed a complete view of the deity. The sage saw the deity in three parts – thirumukham, thiruvudal and thrippadam. The swami prayed to Padmanabha to be forgiven. He offered rice kanji and uppu manga (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 deity belonged to Koopakkara Potti and Karuva Potti. With the assistance of the reigning King and some Brahmin households a temple was constructed.^[11] The Ananthankadu Nagaraja Temple still exists to the northwest of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The samadhi (final resting place) of the swamiyar is to the west of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. A Krishna temple was built over the samadhi. This temple, known as Vilvamangalam Sri Krishna Swami Temple, belongs to Thrissur Naduvil Madhom.^[12]

In the first half of the 18th century, in line with matrilineal customs, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, succeeded his uncle Rama Varma as king at the age of 23. He successfully suppressed the 700-year-old stranglehold of the Ettuveetil Pillamar ("Lords of the Eight Houses") and his cousins following the discovery of conspiracies which the lords were involved in against the royal house of Travancore (There are various legends and disputes about these mostly apocryphal stories, but overall, he took control and centralised the rule). The last major renovation of the Padmanabhaswamy temple commenced immediately after Anizham Thirunal's accession to the throne and the idol was reconsecrated in 906 ME (1731 CE). On 17 January 1750, Anizham Thirunal surrendered the Kingdom of Travancore to Padmanabhaswamy, the main 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.^[13] Since then, the name of every Travancore king was preceded by the title 'Sree Padmanabha Dasa'; the female members of the royal family were called 'Sree Padmanabha Sevini' both meaning the servant to Padmanabhaswamy. The donation of the king to 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 Maharaja and the temple: "That no deviation whatsoever should be made in regard to the dedication of the kingdom to Padmanabhaswamy and that all future territorial acquisitions should be made over to the Devaswom."

• Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
• Ananthapura Lake Temple, Kasargod, Kerala
• Anantha Padmanabhaswami Temple, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
• Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu
• Anantashayana Vishnu, Dhenkanal, Orrisa

• Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple (SPST)
• Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Information About Sree Padmanabhaswamy]
• Padmanabhaswamy Temple treasures belong to royal family: Sankaracharya