Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Thiruvananthapuram, being a Divya Desam, has always been divinized by the presence of Sri Padmanabha Swami. That was why Lord Balarama visited this holy place long ago in Dwapara Yuga. But Sri Padmanabha manifested in the form of a deity much much later, during the time of Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar alias Divakara Muni.

Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar, residing near Ananthapuram Temple, Kasargod prayed to Lord Vishnu for his darshan. The Lord came in disguise as a small, mischievous boy. The boy defiled the Saligrama which was kept for Puja. The Sage became enraged at this and chased the boy. The boy disappeared. After a long search, when he was walking on the banks of the Arabian Sea, he heard a pulaya lady threatening her child that she would throw him in Ananthankadu. The moment the Swami heard the word Ananthankadu, he was delighted. He proceeded to Ananthankadu based on the directions of the lady from whom he enquired. The Sage reached Ananthankadu searching for the boy. There he saw the boy merging into an Iluppa tree (Indian Butter Tree). The tree fell down and became Anantha Sayana Moorti (Vishnu reclining on Anantha). But the Lord was of an extraordinarily large size with the head at Thiruvallom, navel at Thiruvanananthapuram and lotus-feet at Thrippadapuram (Thrippappur). The Sage requested the Lord to shrink to a smaller proportion – thrice the length of his staff. Immediately, the Lord shrank. But even then many Iluppa trees obstructed a complete vision of the Lord. The Sage saw the Lord in three parts – thirumukham, thiruvudal and thrippadam. Swami prayed to Padmanabha to be forgiven. The Swami offered Rice Kanji and Uppumanga (salted mango pieces) in a coconut shell to the Perumal which he obtained from the pulaya woman. The spot where the Sage had darshan of the Lord belonged to Koopakkara Potti and Karuva Potti. With the assistance of the reigning King and some Brahmin households, a Temple was constructed. Koopakkara Potti was made the Tantri of the Temple.

Ananthankadu Nagaraja Temple still exists to the northwest of Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The Samadhi (final resting place) of the Swamiyar exists to the west of the Sri Padmanabha Temple. A Krishna Temple was built over the Samadhi. This Temple, known as Vilvamangalam Sri Krishna Swami Temple, belongs to Thrissur Naduvil Madhom