About Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple:
- It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kerala.
- The name of the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Malayalam translates to “The City of Lord Ananta”,referring to the deity of Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
- The earliest recorded mention of the temple is from the 8th or 9th century CE, although the temple is likely older.
- The temple was built and rebuilt over the centuries, most recently by Martanda Varma, king of Travancore, who in 1750 donated the kingdom to the deity.
- Architecture:
- It is a blend of Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture.
- The idol of Vishnu is in the Anantha shayanam posture, the eternal yogic rest posture on his serpent Adisheshan.
- It has a seven-tier-high gopuram, which is decorated with delicate designs and carvings.
- Along with exquisite and intricate works on stone and bronze, the interior of the temple is adorned by exquisite paintings and murals, most of which are life-sized depictions of Lord Vishnu in the reclining posture, Lord Ganapati, Gaja Lakshmi, and Narasimha Swamy (half-lion, half-man incarnation of Lord Vishnu).
- The flag post of the temple (dhwaja stamba) is covered with gold-plated copper sheets and is about 80 ft high.
- The temple has around 3 million palm leaf manuscripts dating back to the 14th century CE.
- Known as Mathilakam records, they contain the administrative and financial details of the temple town and Travancore kingdom spread over six centuries.
- In 2011 the temple was the subject of international news when an exploration of its vaults revealed a wealth of jewels, precious metals, and other treasures.
- It is also widely believed to be the world’s richest temple.
