File:Padmanabhan swami Temple.webm

English: Sree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala is a prestigious Hindu temple. It is dedicated to Lord Anantha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Thiruvananthapuram literally means “The land of Lord Anantha”.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple architecture is an amalgam of Kerala style and Dravidian style, and the temple features a 100-foot tall gopuram (ornate entrance gate). Inside, in the main shrine, an 18-foot idol of the principal deity lies on Adi Shesha, in the Ananthasayanam posture.

The date of the temple’s foundation is unknown. But as per popular beliefs, it was established about 5000 years ago.

The palm leaf records at the temple mention that sage Divakara Muni Vilwamangalam founded it. He performed rituals at Padmanabhaswamy Temple Kasaragod, also known as Ananthapura Lake Temple. And that temple is said to be the original seat (moolasthanam) of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy.

As per the legends, Lord Vishnu appeared before sage Vilwamangalam as an orphan kid. The sage felt pity and allowed him to stay at the temple. He took his help in the daily activities of the temple. One day, Vilwamangalam acted harshly on the kid, who then, ran away towards the forest.

But, Vilwamangalam soon realized that the boy was Lord Vishnu himself. So, he went to find him. He followed him inside a cave, which led to present-day Thiruvananthapuram. The boy then disappeared into a mahua tree. The tree fell and took the shape of Lord Vishnu lying on the thousand hooded serpent – Adi Shesha.

The size of Lord Vishnu in this Ananthasayanam posture extended up to 8 miles, and sage Vilwamangalam requested him to condense to a smaller size. Lord shrank, but still, the sage couldn’t see him completely. Trees obstructed his view, and he could see Lord Anantha in three parts - the face, the stomach area and the feet.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the richest temple in the world. The Padmanabhaswamy Temple trust, headed by the royal family of Travancore, looks after the assets.

The treasure is a collection of valuable objects accumulated over several thousands of years. It includes coins, statues, ornaments and many other precious artefacts, donated by rulers and traders from around the world.

The list includes kings from South Indian kingdoms like the Cheras, the Pandyas and the Pallavas, rulers from Greece, Jerusalem, Rome and other traders who came to visit the temple. Donations also poured in from various colonial powers of Europe.

And because of its wealth, the temple has also been referred to as the Golden Temple in various literatures.

The palm leaves records tell a lot about Padmanabhaswamy Temple treasure, and the gold and precious stones donated to the temple.

Gold has been mined in and around Trivandrum for thousands of years. And the area has also been a centre of trade. So, the gold came to the temple as offerings from the devotees. Many royal families in Southern India too stored their wealth in the temple vaults for safekeeping.

Also, during the reign of queen Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, many temples in Kerala were bought under the royal governance. And the ornaments and other valuables of those temples were stored in the vaults of Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The Kingdom of Travancore also provided refuge to many rulers who then donated their valuables to Lord Padmanabha.