In the heart of Thiruvananthapuram — the city of Anantha — in Kerala, the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple enshrines Lord Vishnu in his majestic Ananthasayanam posture, reclining upon the thousand-hooded serpent Adisesha, with a lotus bearing Brahma rising from his navel. One of the 108 Divya Desams sung by the Alvars, the shrine presents the Lord in a form so vast that he is beheld through three separate doors — his face, his navel, and his feet.
The temple is intimately bound to the Travancore royal family, whose rulers governed as Sri Padmanabha Dasa, servants of the Lord, dedicating their kingdom to him. Built in an exquisite blend of Kerala and Dravidian styles beneath a towering gopuram, it drew world attention when its long-sealed vaults were found to hold treasures of extraordinary value — offerings of devotion gathered over centuries.
Padmanabhaswamy remains one of the holiest and most magnificent Vishnu temples in all of India.
The reclining Vishnu at Padmanabhaswamy is too long to see at once. Three separate doors open onto the head, the middle and the feet.
Source: Temple administration, Thiruvananthapuram
