Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in the city of statues, Thiruvananthapuram. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The name Thiruvananthapuram means The City of Anantha with reference to the temple deity Padmanabhaswamy. This temple is an indigenous fusion of Kerala and Dravidian architectural styles. It is one of the 108 sacred temples of Vishnu called Divya Desams in Vaishnavism. The Divya Desams are the most sacred abodes of Lord Vishnu which are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssaySree Padmanabhaswamy is the tutelary deity of the royal family of Travancore. In 1750, Marthanda Varma dedicated the kingdom of Travancore to Lord Padmanabha. Marthanda Varma swore that the royal family would rule the state in the name of the Lord and that he and his descendants would serve the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa or servant of Lord Padmanabha. Since then, the name of every king of Travancore was preceded by the title Padmanabha Dasa. The donation of the Travancore kingdom to Padmanabhaswamy was known as Thripadidanam. As per the Marthandavarma Temple Entry Proclamation, only those who profess the Hindu faith are allowed to enter the temple and devotees must strictly follow the dress code. Men must wear mundu or dhoti (worn around the waist and down to the heels) and must not wear any shirt. Women must wear a sari, mundum neriyathum (set-mundu), skirt and blouse or half sari. The Padmanabhaswamy temple and its properties were controlled by the Ettara Yogam (King's Council of Eight) with the help of Ettuveetil Pillamar ("Lords of the Eight Houses"). The main deity Vishnu is idolized in the posture 'Anantha Shayanam', the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Anandhan (Adhisheshan). The snake has five inward-facing hoods. The right hand of the Lord is placed on a Shiva lingam. Sridevi-Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and Bhudevi the goddess of Earth, two wives of Vishnu are at his side. Brahma emerges on a lotus which emanates from the navel of the Lord. The divinity is made up of 12,008 saligrams. The Padmanabha deity is covered with 'Katusarkara yogam', a special Ayurvedic mixture, which forms a plaster that keeps the deity clean. The platforms in front of the vimanam and where the deity rests are both carved from a single massive stone and hence called 'Ottakkal-mandapam'. The Divinity is visible through three doors – the face of the reclining Lord and Siva Linga under hand is visible through the first door; Sridevi and Bhrigu Muni at Katusarkara, Brahma seated on a lotus emanating from the navel of the Lord, hence the name "Padmanabha", the gold abhisheka moorthies of Lord Padmanabha, Sridevi and Bhudevi, and the silver utsava moorthi of Padmanabha at through the second door; the feet of the Lord, and Bhudevi and Markandeya Muni to Katusarkara through the third gate. The idols of two goddesses holding chamaram, Garuda, Narada, Tumburu, the divine forms of the six weapons of Lord Vishnu, Surya, Chandra, Saptarshi (Seven Sages), Madhu and Kaitabha are also there in the Sanctum. Inside the temple, there are two other important shrines, Thekkedom and Thiruvambadi, for the deities Ugra Narasimha and Krishna Swami respectively. On the days of Ekadasi, the Lord is dressed and decorated as Mohini. There are also shrines for Rama accompanied by ita, Lakshmana and Hanuman, Vishwaksena (the Nirmalyadhari of Vishnu and the Remover of obstacles), Vyasa, Ganapati, Sasta and Kshetrapala (who guards the temple). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article now from our expert writers. Get.