The legendary Padmanabhaswamy temple, located in Kerala’s
capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, is one of the oldest temples of Kerala. Lord
Padmanabha, the presiding deity at this temple is Lord Mahavishnu in Ananthashayanam,
or the reclining position. Ananthashayanam roughly translates to sleeping upon
Anantha, the celestial serpent. The city of Thiruvananthapuram also known as
Trivandrum, is named after Lord Adisesha, or Anantha, upon whom Narayana rests.
Image courtesy - Vinayaraj via Wikimedia Commons
The idol of Lord Padmanabhaswamy is life-size, stretched
out across three horizontal doors, a rare feature in any temple. This temple has
another distinction. That of being a temple with the sacred trinity of Brahma,
Vishnu, and Maheshwara present together in the sanctum sanctorum.
I visited the temple in October 2013, during the
Navarathri festival. The Padmanabhaswamy temple, like most temples in Kerala,
has a strict Hindus-only rule. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple
premises. Security is tight, and there is a strict dress code for both men and
women. Men should enter with a bare chest, and should either wear a mundu (the
white dhoti), or formal pants. Jeans, lungis, or shorts are not allowed. Little
boys are allowed to wear shorts; however, they too must enter the temple
bare-chested. Women should wear saris, (or the Kerala set mundu, worn by
women). Jeans, sleeveless tops, and shorts are not allowed. Of late, the salwar
kameez rule has been relaxed in most Kerala temples, but it is safest to wear a
sari, than be turned away from the temple doors. Little girls can wear pavada,
(or langa davani), skirts, and frocks.
Those who are not suitably attired are not allowed
inside the temple. Some of the major temples in Kerala have shops in and around
the temple premises where one can buy dhotis. This is for the benefit of
pilgrims who turn up for darshan unaware of the dress code. The Padmanabhaswamy
temple also has a few stalls where you can pick up an emergency dhoti if you
have forgotten to pack one. Even women who come in salwars can buy a mundu, and
wrap it around, below their kurtas.
Mobile phones, cameras, and similar electronic
devices are not allowed inside the temple, nor are handbags, airbags, or
luggage of any kind. Only small purses and wallets can be taken with the
devotee. There are booths outside where you have to leave all bag and baggage,
for a small fee. This is for two reasons – one being photography is strictly
prohibited inside the temple, the second being security.
Two of my maternal uncles have been running a travel
and tourism enterprise in Trivandrum for close to thirty years until recently,
when they retired from work. The older one has traded the bustling city for a village
for a quiet life. So we head to my younger uncle’s house when we arrive in
Trivandrum.
We reach the temple for the evening darshan. All
temples in Kerala have strict timings. The Padmanabhaswamy temple opens at 3.30
in the morning, for the nirmalya
darshanam till 4.45 a.m. The next darshan is from 6.30 a.m. to 7.00 a.m.,
the subsequent morning darshans are
between 8.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m., 10.30 a.m. to 11.10 a.m., and 11.45 a.m. to
12.00 p.m. The temple remains closed for major part of the afternoon. The
evening darshan starts at 5.00 p.m.,
and is open till 6.15 p.m. The last darshan
is between 6.45 p.m. and 7.20 p.m. The temple closes at 7.20 p.m. We got there
a little early, around 3.30 p.m., so to pass the time; we slipped into the Kuthira
Malika, the small palace next to the temple, which has been converted into a
museum. It is the place where the legendary king Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma,
the doyen of Carnatic music created his vast body of compositions in his brief
life of thirty three years.
The main gates open shortly before the sanctum
sanctorum is opened. With the result, a serpentine queue is formed. We stand in
the queue for about half an hour, wondering when the queue would begin to move.
Finally the nada doors are opened and
the queue starts moving pretty quick. Things are sped up by the presence of
security personnel who regulate the crowds, chiding anybody who spends a moment
too long at the nada or the inner
sanctum.
Standing in the presence of any deity is a powerful
experience, and this time is no different. In spite of the hordes of people
around, I find calm in the presence of the Lord. The Lord, richly decorated
with gold and flowers of different hues, peeps out of the first door, with a benign
yet slightly naughty smile. His face is turned towards the ceiling, in the
typical Ananthashayanam pose. A golden crown fit for a king adorns his head. He
seems to assure you that he will take care of every worry you bring to him. It
looks like the Lord is saying, ‘relax and take a cue from me, life is a
breeze’! His right arm is thrown protectively around a Shiva linga. As I move
to the second door, the navel of Mahavishnu is visible. The celestial lotus
that springs forth his navel, with Lord Brahma seated on it is quite an
artistic marvel. The stalk of the lotus is not too thick, yet it supports the
small the lotus, and the idol of Lord Brahma. The idols of Sridevi and
Bhoodevi, the consorts of the Lord are also visible from the second door,
facing the devotees. The third door has the golden feet of the Lord.
All too soon, it is over, and we are ushered out. As
we walk around, circumambulating (doing the pradakshinam) the
temple, we spot the lovely Kerala mural paintings drawn on the temple walls. In
the recent years, restoration work has been taken up for these priceless
artefacts, which were painted on the temple walls centuries ago. Made from natural
colours, these paintings are a distinct hallmark of Kerala art, with an
expressive beauty.
Amma points out the controversial vaults that have
been opened in 2011, revealing the unaccountable wealth of Lord
Padmanabhaswamy. The vaults were ordered opened by the Kerala High Court, based
on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Sri. T P Sundara Rajan, an ardent devotee of the Lord. Out
of a total of the six vaults Vault A was opened, which revealed wealth that
named the Padmanabhaswamy temple as the richest world, a distinction that had
so far belonged to Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati. The second vault containing
the image of a serpent on the door remains closed, as the Lord’s displeasure
was indicated by an oracle.
The temple premises are fairly large, with several
smaller nadas to house other deities like Krishna, Sri Rama with Sita and
Lakshmana, Thiruvambady Krishna etc.
We walk out of the temple premises and visit the
Navarathri Mandapam, next to the Kuthira Malika. The Navarathri Mandapam is set
up during the nine days of the Navarathri festival. A small idol of Saraswathi
Devi is brought out of the main temple, and installed in the Mandapam, to be worshipped
here for the nine days. Renowned musicians are invited to sing each day of the
festival. Maharaja Swathi Thirunal had composed nine krithis in praise of the
Goddess, for each day of the festival. Each evening one of the nine
compositions is sung by the invited artists. Prince Ashwathy Thirunal Rama
Varma, the descendant of Swathi Thirunal, himself a well-known musician, has
been enthusiastically spearheading the activities during the music festival.
Prince Varma also organizes the Swathi Sangeethotsavam, a music festival which is
held every year at the Kuthira Malika.
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