SRI ANANTHAPADMANABHA SWAMY LAKE TEMPLE Ananthapura – Kerala – 671 321 Sri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Temple is Vibrant with the spiritual power of Lord Mahavishnu is located near the northern end of Kerala, in Ananthapura near Kumbla in Kasaragod District. The temple is known as the moolasthanam, the original source, of the Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala State, which is in the far south. The Landscape on the way to the temple opens a vast panoramic scene with ranges of sprawling hillocks on the background. An aura of peace and solitude permeater the whole region. On the midst of a vast grass land remains in splendorous charm Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple, in the centre of a rectangular lake. The piligrim is reminded of the Puranic Symbology of Lord Vishnu, the all-perrading and timeless supreme reality, resting on the serpent Anantha, representing the endless phenomenon of time, and floating in the Ksheera Sagara, the ocean of Milk, representing the endless energy of creation. Here, in the Sreekovil, the sanctum sanctorum, of the temple, Sri Anantha Padbhanabha is depicted as seated on the divine serpent Anantha, while in the Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple of Thiruvananthapuram, the Lord is reclining on Anantha. On both the sides of the Lord are Bhoodevi, the Goddess of Earth and Sreedevi, the Godess of Prosperity. Garuda and Hanuman stand in front of them praying with folded hands. Heavely maidens tan the Lord and his consorts from behind. Jaya and Vijaya, Lord Vishnu’s attendants, stand in guard at the entrance. The Sreekovil is surrounded by a rectangular lake. The Gopuram, the temple edifice, and the Sreekovil are connected by a small bridge. On the outer walls of the Sreekovil there are marvellous and ancient mural paintings on Puranic themes. To protect these paintings an outer wall was constructed around the Sreekovil in recent times. The Legend about the temple associates it with the great mystic and devotee of Lord Vishnu, Sree Vilvamangalathu Swami, who dominates the ancient spiritual lake of Kerala. In fact, his fame for extends the borders of Kerala. In Bengal he is popular as Bilvamgala. A legend associated with Vilvamangalathu Swami describes the temple as the Moolasthanam of Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple of Thiruvananthapuram. While Sage Vilvamangalthu Swami was doing penance in the holy spot, Lord Krishna used to visit him disguised as a mischivous little boy. One day he did some pranks on him while the swamigal doing his pooja. Swamigal, at his wits end, admonished the child and pushed him with his back hand. The Lord, transformed into a ball of divine aura hastened through the cave. A divne voice echoed “Now if you want to see me, come to Ananthankadu”. Then only Vilvamangalathu Swami realised that the boy was none other than his own lord. It is said that the sage also ran into the cave and going through the passage that formed there he reached the Seashore and from there travelled southwords in search of Ananthankadu, At last the sage reached a place which is the present location of Thiruvanathapuram, the capital of Kerala, where he had the splendrons vision of Lord Vishnu. It was at this holy spot Eventually Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple of Thiruvanathapuram came up. On the north-East corner of the lake there is still a big cave with a small pit with a parennial presence of water in it, Which is considered as a sacred Theertham. It is beleivered to be the cave where boy Krishna disappeared. Near the south-west corner of the lake there is a shrine housing a very graceful idol of Sreekrishna belived to have been the same idol worshipped by Sri Vilvamangalathu Swamy. Refere the book Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple written by Smt. Ashwathi Thirunal Gowri Lekshmi Bai of Travancore Royal Family. Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar and the Namboodiri connection. This is the most accepted version regarding the consecration of the Temple and relates to the famous Namboodiri Brahmin sage by name Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar. Three Vilvamangalattu Swamiyars have lived during different times, according to some. Vilvamanagalam I dates to the 9th century and Vilvamangalam III to the 16th century( about 1585 AD) with Vilvamangalam II coming in between. Even if the 9th Century saint is accepted as the Central figure in this Sthala Puranam, anachronism is glaringly obvious. The story basically runs on the same lines as that of Divakara Muni, deviating only at certain points. The location is in North Malabar and the Kasargode Sree Ananthapuram Temple featured in both. Here the child does not stay with the swamiyar but would faithfully appear every day during the Puja time of the sage. The Salagrama episode is the same and here the saint shows his annoyance by pushing back the little one with the back of the hand. (To this day it is deemed inauspicious to push someone away, with the back of the hand). The next difference in the story surfaces a little later on. It is said that the Sage ran after the child but soon lost track of him. The sound of the bells on the anklets adorning those little feet and on the waistband guided him for some more time, then they too ceased. The Sage wandered from place to place, consecrating many renowned temples of today on the way and getting many divine experience. He moved from North Kerala to the South Kerala in his ceaseless quest of the divine Child and Ananthankatu where he would find him. One evening he rested under a tree, physically and mentally weary. From the opposite side where stood the hut of a Pulaya, he heard the raise voice of an angry Pulayi threatening her baby who would not stop crying, that she would throw it into Ananthakatu if it did not stop wailing. The joyous Sages rushed to the hut and in answer to his question, the woman pointed to the near-by forest which was the destination of his long search. After blessing her and taking a single lighted wick from her to aid his progress into darkness in search of the Supreme Light, the Swamiyar entered the forest. Before long, the dearly familiar sound of the waistbells and anklets could be heard. In the pre-dawn hours, suddenly an lluppa tree crashed down with a mighty sound before him and a great radiance manifested. On reaching the spot he got the Darsanam or Vision of God as Sree Padmanabha Swamy reclining on the serpent chief Ananta. The extent of this form and the subsequent reduction in size in response to the Sage’s prayers are the same as in the story about Divakara Muni. Having nothing else to offer to the Lord, the Swamiyar took a small unripe mango from a nearby tree and placing it in a dry coconut shell submitted the same to the Lord in an overflow of emotion. The offering of a salted mango in the coconut shell which is reported to be the same one used by the Swamiyar though now covered with gold and gem studded, continues as an important daily Nivedyam to this day. In this connection it merits mention that the wood of this Iluppa tree is believed to have been utilized to carve the figure oh Sree Padmanabha Swamy and till the time of Marthanda Varma the Great, the Idol is seen to be of this wood. The Naduvil Madhom Pushpanjali Swamiyar’s premises lying to the west of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple also contains a Sree Krishna Temple which is believed to have been consecrated on the Villvamangalathu Swamiyar’s Samadhi. This adds much weight to the sage’s link with the Temple To be continued
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 13:57:58 +0000
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