About Padmanabhaswami Temple
Vital Information for Visitors
Address:

Sri Padmanabhaswami Temple

Open & Close:

Open on all days – 24x7

Entry Fee:

Free

Puja Timing:

Morning Hour

3:30 AM - 5:00 AM (Nirmalya Darshanam)

6:30 AM - 7:00 AM

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

10:30 AM - 11:10 AM

11:45 AM - 12:00 PM

Evening Hours

5:00 PM – 6:15 PM

6:45 PM – 7:20 PM

Duration:

Approx 1-2 hrs

Special Darshan:

INR 150 Per Person

Special Darshan with Prasadam:

INR 180 Per Person

Dedicated To:

Lord Vishnu

Famous For:

Dravidian temple architecture; Open only to Hindus

Padmanabhaswami Temple in Thiruvananthapuram

Padmanabhaswami Temple is a must-visit place situated at the East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. It is one among the 108 holy temples of Lord Vishnu. The name Padmanabha made with two words – Padma & Nabhi. The Padma means lotus and the Nabhi means the navel. Thereby, Padmanabhaswami Temple depicts the Anananthasayanam posture of Lord Vishnu lying on the holy snake named Anantha with a lotus emerged from his navel. The Padmanabhaswami Temple, with huge pylon-like gopurams, heavily decorated and gilded finials, is dedicated to Vishnu and was constructed in its present form in 8th century. The shrine is very ancient, though the structure as it is seen today is the result of renovation and addition by king Martanda Verma of Travancore. Three hundred and sixty-eight carved granite pillars mark the corridors. Only Hindus can go into the temples wearing a dhoti, an unstitched garment. This temple in Kerala is a collection of precious objects comprising statues and ornaments, diamonds, gold throne, crowns, coins and other precious stones. It is large in size having three gateways for pilgrims to worship and each one has its own meaning. As per the mythology, it is believed that there is sea located under the Sri Padmanabhaswami. The temple has countless walls and pillars embellished with mural paintings and other sculptures that depict stories and legends related to the deity.

The Padmanabhaswami Temple has got its own importance when talking about the history of Travancore. It has been associated with the royal family of Travancore and is steeped deep into the history of many centuries back. While talking about the architecture of the Padmanabhaswami Temple, it is basically built on Dravidian temple architecture tenets. Unlike many famous temples in Kerala, Padmanabhaswami Temple is built in Dravidian style, that's much like the temples of Tamil Nadu. Seemingly similar to the AdikesavaPerumal temple in Kanyakumari, the Padmanabhaswami Temple has a Gopuram of the sixteenth century. Only Hindus are allowed inside Padmanabhaswami Temple and they need to observe strict dress & worship codes. The men should put on a dhoti or a mundu sans a blouse and the women folks must put on half sari/sari mundumneriyathum.

The main festival celebrated at Sree Padmanabhaswami Temple is known as Painkuni Festival which commences with Kodiyettu (hoisting of the ceremonial flag). It is celebrated in the month of March / April. During the celebration of this festival, a very huge fibre-glass figure of the Pandavas (who were the five sons of Pandu in the Indian epic Mahabharata) is placed at the eastern entrance of the temple. The Painkuni Festival continues for 10 days in which every day it is celebrated with special rituals. On the ninth day of this festival, the head of the Travancore Royal Family performs the Palli Vetta ritual which takes place near the Vettakorumakan Temple in the Fort area. Furthermore, the Painkuni Festival ends with the Aarattu procession to the Sanghumugham beach. The royal family of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom still escorts the idols throughout the procession donning their conventional apparel. During Palli Vetta festival / ritual the royal family targets coconut by using a bow and arrow.

Padmanabhaswami Temple is a well-appreciated place to visit in Kerala as countless pilgrims come there every day to get blessed by the God-Lord Vishnu. It’s the most auspicious & religious tourist attractions in Thiruvanthapuram.

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