PADMANABHASWAMY TEMPLE IN TIRUVANTHPURAM-

PADMANABHA  SWAMY TEMPLE IN TIRUVANTHPURAM-

   

This temple is located in the Tiruvanthpuram, the capital city of the state of Kerala. The Tiruvanthpuram takes its name from the "Anantha" which means the endless, the supreme God Lord Padmanabha. The fort which encloses the temple is in the south of the city. The temple in its present form was built in the eighteen century by the erstwhile ruler of Travancore King Martand Varma,who being a true devotee, dedicated his entire kingdom to Lord Padmanabha Swamy and vowed to serve the state  on behalf of Lord like a Padmanabha Dasa. This is a very significant and sacred shrine, the importance of which has been described in several religious books. The temple is about 6 kms from the Tiruvanthpuram Airport. 

The temple has a seven tier "Gopuram" and stands by the side of Padma Theertham (the holy tank). The temple complex has an eighty feet high Dhawja Stambh near the eastern corridor. In the sanctum or the Garbhgriha, the deity is seen reclining on Anantha, the five hooded holy serpent and can be seen through three different doors. The idol of Lord Padmanabha (Maha Vishnu) is  about 18 feet long and said to contain 12008 Salagrams or sacred stones which were collected in Nepal from the bed of river Gandaki.  

The sacred idol of the presiding deity is unique and mesmerising,where the Brahma is seated on a lotus rising from Vishnu's navel and a Shivlingam is sheltered by the Vishnu's right hand .
 Besides the main temple of Lord Padmanabha Swamy, there are several other small temples located inside the temple complex. Among such, large gathering of devotees can also be seen in the temples of Shri Narsimha Swamy and Shri Krishna Swamy .

The shrine dedicated to Narsimha,who assumes the form of man and lion, is small but the deity is believed to be highly potent. It is said that people have heard the roar of a lion from within the temple. Narsimha Swamy is supposed to be the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The temple of Lord Krishna is beautifully carved. It is believed that the marvellous granite  idol  of Lord Krishna was brought from Gujrat by the Krishna's descendants.

As per tradition, only Hindus are permitted inside the temple. While entering the temple, men are required to remain bare chested and need to wear dhoti or muddu. Women also need to wear Sari.Photography inside the main temple is also not allowed. Arrangements are there to deposit Clothes,camera and electronic gadgets in the cloakroom. 

Visitors may purchase handicrafts, sandalwood figures, antiques and  range of hand loom items from the  nearby market.

Devotees visiting this holy shrine may also visit Kanyakumari which is about 87 kms. from Thiruvantpuram and is also known for the famous Kanyakumari Amman Temple. 

 Temple of Lord Padmanabha Swamy

MEENAKSHI-SUNDARESHWAR TEMPLE -

Gopuram of the temple

MEENAKSHI-SUNDARESHWAR TEMPLE -                                                            
Meenakshi-Sundareshwar Temple is located in the Madurai ,the second largest city of Tamilnadu. Madurai is well connected from Chennai,Bangalore as well as from New Delhi .During our visit to Madurai,we took a direct flight of Spice Jet Airlines from Delhi  having only one stoppage at Chennai.Madurai is supposed to be a very old and ancient city once ruled by Goddess Meenakshi herself. This temple is dedicated to Meenakshi and her consort  Lord Sundareshwar.
The architecture and the stone carvings in this temple are mesmerising and unique. The layout of the Meenakshi Amman temple complex is square shaped  having the four massive Gopurams, one in each direction at the outer walls.
The devotees visiting this complex generally enter through the east via Astha Shakti Gopuram of Meenakshi temple .All the Gopurams located in the temple complex are very colourful and magnificent.While going through the temple devotees walk along the holy golden lotus tank,  also known as Potramarai Kulam. It is said that once Indra has also taken bath in this pond and worshipped Lord Shiva to get rid of his sins.  It is a practise to take the blessings of Goddess Meenakshi before visiting the temple of Lord Sundareshwar therefore devotees first offer their payers to Goddess Meenakshi and there after through a Parikrama route move towards the temple of Lord Sundareshwar. In the sanctum of the Meenakshi temple ,devotees worship the Goddess, who is standing gracefully and blessing her devotees.The word "meen" means fish and the word "akshi" means eyes therefore the Meenakshi is also known as the Goddess having fish- shaped eyes.
. The temple of Lord Sundareshwar lies at the centre of the complex which leads to a belief that the Sundareshwar shrine is the oldest establishment in this temple complex. While passing through the  parikrama route devotees may also offer payers to the idols of other deities. It is said that in ancient time the divine marriage of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwar was performed in Madurai at the same place where the present  temple complex is now located .It is believed that the girls who offer prayer in this temple are blessed by the goddess and they soon achieve their suitable marriage partners. It is believed that Subrahmanyam (Murugan) was  also born in Madurai. While passing through the  corridor or Parikrama, devotees are also blessed by  Ganapati. The grand statue of Ganapati known as Mukkuruni Vinayagar is about 8 foot tall ,very magnificent and carved of a single stone.This idol of Ganeshji was discovered during the digging of the temple tank. In the garbh grih of the beautiful  temple of Lord Sundareshwar, the sacred Linga of Lord Shiva is worshipped by the devotees. While moving within this temple complex, devotees  also get an opportunity to see several beautiful idols and enchanting skill of Dravidian sculpture. The exquisite stone carvings and the magnificent idols depicted at the pillars of Lord Sundareshwar temple are mesmerising.
 Non hindus are permitted  only up to the outer part of the temple and up to the marked place. While visiting this temple complex, visitors are advised to  visit  a museum located in the the thousand pillar hall   and have a look of  excellent  Dravidian architecture. The museum is a rich heritage of ancient stone carvings, beautiful idols and antiques.From anywhere we look in this hall,the pillars are in a straight line.
There are several important celebrations in the festive calender of the Meenakshi Amman temple. Chithirai Thiruvizha is a 12 day festival celebrated during the month of April-May when the devotees celebrate the coronation of Goddess Meenakshi and her divine marriage to Lord Sundareshwar. Aavani Moola Utsavam  is another 18 day festivity in the month of Aug-Sept during which the coronation ceremony of Lord Sundareshwar is celebrated.
Devotees visiting this holy shrine may also visit Kodaikanal which is a very green and popular hill station of Tamilnadu. Kodaikanal is about 120 km.from Madurai and is known for several tourists spot including Kodai Lake.