Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple

History and Significance of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

One of the mystery and divine temples to be visited is in Thiruvananthapuram, we are talking about the famous Ananta Padmanabha Temple. Let us know its mystery history tales.

According to the Brahmanda Purana, or the mythological scripts, the story of this temple is revealed. A sage Divakar in the state of Karnataka used to worship the Supreme Lord Vishnu. One day his favourite Lord appeared Himself as a beautiful boy and captivated the heart of Divakar like no one else. He used to visit Divakar daily, and his love for that boy was kept growing. One day this boy told him stating “I have no father, mother and a place to reside. I am just all alone walking”. And then Divakar said to the boy that will take care of him, and asked to stay with him. The boy said, “I will stay with you if you promise me that you will never punish me for anything I do. If you punish me I will leave immediately”. Divakar promised.

This boy was very mischievous. But Divakar was in delight by seeing the mischievousness due to his love for him. But the boy wanted to test him. One day when Divakar was doing prayer and he was frightened to see that his ‘saligram sila’ was missing, while he was searching he found that the little boy was sucking the saligram. Divakar immediately scolded Him. The boy told Divakar that since he has despoiled his promise, He will now leave and move far from him.

Saying those words in anger, the child ran away and Divakar ran after him to apologise. As the little boy was running, His waist and ankle bells were ringing. Divakar’s heart was fascinated; he could not live without the boy. The boy told him stating, “If you want to see me again you should look for me in the Ananta forest”, and the child got disappeared.

As said by the boy, Divakar was searching everywhere for him in the forest; he spent the rest of his life searching. He had never heard of such a place called Ananta. He was leading and asking everyone. He came all the way down to the southern part of the state of Kerala, which is today Thiruvananthapuram. He came to a village and saw a simple tribal woman scolding her son, “You are so bad. Next time if you do this, I am going to leave you in the Ananta forest”. Divakar listening to these words got excited. Divakar was a holy saint, a sanyasi, he approached this lady and said, “I will give you all blessings instead please tell me where is Ananta forest?”. The tribal lady told him where and how to reach the Anantha Forest.

The forest was very mysterious, Divakar had a single candle. He went into the forest searching for the boy. Suddenly he heard the ringing of the waist and the ankle bells. He went into joy and started looking from where that music was coming from. Suddenly an Ilupa tree fell to the ground with a heavy crash and from the tree, shining light blinded Divakar. When the light flashed by, he saw the deity of “Ananta Padmanabha Swamy” was shown from the tree.

The god was very huge with head in one village, His feet were in another village and His waist was in the dark “Ananta forest”. According to the stories, he was about 18 km long. Divakar took green mango and then he clutched a coconut shell and made a little plate and put the salty mango in the coconut shell and offered it with devotion to God. Divakar requested the Lord Padmanabha to reduce in size so that he could pray Him and serve Him. Lord instantly accepted his prayers and reduced Himself in size. To this day, prasadam or offering prepared from rice is offered to the Lord here in a coconut shell.

The history was magnificent to know, let us throw light on the significance of the temple.

This temple is dedicated to “Lord Padmanabhaya Swamy”, an avatar of Lord Maha Vishnu, in Thiruvananthapuram is one of the most popular temples in India. This old temple of Shree Padmanabhaswamy has been described in several Hindu scriptures like the Brahma Puranam, Matsya Puranam, Varaha Puranam, Skanda Puranam, Padma Puranam, Vayu Puranam and also in Bhagavata Puranam. The temple is also mentioned in the Mahabharatam.

The temple, Shree Padmanabhaswamy dates back to the 8th century CE. The temple was built in the Chera style of architecture followed in Kerala, as the structure was done keeping the local weather and wind direction in mind.

This temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams likewise the holy abodes of Lord Maha Vishnu - major centres of worship of the deity in Vaishnavism. This temple gave its name to Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram where 'Thiru' means 'Anantha' and 'Puram' means 'sacred abode of Lord Vishnu’.

The temple structure marks a classic example of the Chera Style. The temple stands on seven acres of land with four main entrances facing the top directions. The 18 feet long idol’s interior is filled with 1208 salagramas or the sacred stones transported from the Gandaki River in Nepal. The idol has an adjustment accurately perpendicular to the East-West. The orientation along the east-west resembles the agama design origins in the classical texts such as the samarangana sutradhara and tantrasamuchaya which advise Lord Vishnu temples fronting east such that the main idol of the temple is facing the rising Sun. In the olden days, the central part of Thiruvananthapuram city was original to the east of the Padmanabha Swamy temple.

Its sculpture work along with the carvings mark as adorable. The temple structure is maintained in such a way that the Sunlight passes through seven squares of the hole from rising.

This is all about the history, significance and structure of the famous shrine Sree Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple.

Make sure to visit this popular shrine and get blessed by Lord Vishnu.

How to Reach — Travel Guide — Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram

✈️ By Flight

Trivandrum International Airport (TRV, ~6 km from the temple) — one of India's closest airports to a major temple. Direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and many Gulf/SE Asia destinations.

🚂 By Train

Thiruvananthapuram Central (TVC, ~1 km) and Trivandrum Pettah (Pet, ~2 km). Kerala Express (Delhi), Trivandrum Rajdhani, Netravati Express (Mumbai), Mangala Express, multiple south-Indian state expresses.

🚌 By Bus

Thampanoor KSRTC Bus Stand is just 1 km from the temple — services from Bengaluru (16 hrs Volvo), Chennai, Coimbatore, Mangalore, Kanyakumari (1.5 hrs), and across Kerala.

🚗 By Road / Car

On NH-66 (coastal) and NH-744. From Kanyakumari (90 km), Kollam (70 km), Kochi (220 km), Madurai (240 km), Bengaluru (700 km).

Best Places to Visit Near Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram

Combine your darshan at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram with these well-known nearby attractions for a complete pilgrimage and travel experience:

• Napier Museum & Sri Chitra Art Gallery (2 km) — Indo-Saracenic 19th-century museum with Raja Ravi Varma originals.

• Kuthiramalika Palace Museum (200 m) — Travancore royal palace with 122 carved horse brackets.

• Kovalam Beach (16 km) — the iconic Lighthouse Beach.

• Veli Tourist Village (10 km) — backwaters meet the sea.

• Shankhumukham Beach (5 km) — long sandy beach near the airport.

• Padmanabhapuram Palace (55 km, in Tamil Nadu) — the original Travancore royal palace.

All distances are approximate; please verify on Google Maps and check current road, weather and local conditions before travelling. For latest darshan timings and special pilgrim arrangements, refer to the temple's official authority website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple located?

History and Significance of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple. One of the mystery and divine temples to be visited is in Thiruvananthapuram, we are talking about the famous Ananta Padmanabha Temple.

Who is the presiding deity of Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple?

The temple's presiding deity and its significance are described in the guide above.

What are the timings and how do I reach Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple?

Temples typically open early morning and evening; confirm current darshan timings before visiting. The nearest airport, railway station and road routes are covered in the guide above.

What is the best time to visit Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple?

Major festival days and the cooler months are popular, though weekday mornings offer a calmer darshan. Plan around the temple's key festivals for the most vibrant experience.