Saturday, November 3, 2007

Places of interest in and around - Thiruvananthapuram


Padmanabha Swamy Temple

Renovated in 1733 AD by the then ruler of Travancore, Raja Marthanda Varma, this holy shrine attracts thousands of Hindu devotees. Located inside the east fort, this fascinating temple is the most important landmark of Thiruvananthapuram.

The temple portrays both Kerala and the Dravidian styles of architecture. It is a grand seven storied structure adorned by innumerable stone carvings, ancient inscriptions and colourful murals. There are around 324 pillars in the temple corridor.

The main Deity in this temple is Lord Padmanabha, who reclines on Anantha, the thousand-headed serpent. The Idol is about 5.5 mtrs (18 feet) long and is one of the largest Vishnu deities in India. The Deity reclines in a large, dimly lit room. You can see the Lord through three large doors, one revealing his feet, another midsection (with Brahma on the lotus) and the third his chest and head.

The deity is taken on a procession everyday at 4 p.m. around the temple. There are several other deities in the temple including Sita, Rama, Hanuman, Krishna and Narasimha. There is a huge temple tank called Padma Teertham outside the temple.

Only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple and they too have to strictly follow the dress code, which is dhoti for the men and a sarees for the women.

The temple remains open from 4:15 am - 5:15 am, 6:45 am - 730 am, 8:30 am - 10:30 am, 11:30 am - 11:45 am, and 5:15 pm - 7:30 pm.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

// Om Namo Hanumantaay Namah: //

Thank You for this nice Website. I wish I could be there!

You can download Hanuman Pictures, Hanuman Chalisa (Text + Music) and other Mp3-Bhajans at:

http://hanumanji.wordpress.com

YouRs SinCereLy M!sTer CrippLeD SaM