Who is Padmanabhaswamy
Padmanabhaswamy is the presiding deity of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and is a form of Vishnu in his eternal reclining posture on the serpent Adishesha. The name 'Padmanabha' means 'lotus-naveled,' referring to the lotus that emerges from Vishnu's navel, upon which Brahma sits to create the universe. This iconography is described in the Bhagavata Purana (2.10.10-12), where Vishnu's navel lotus is the source of cosmic creation. The temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams, sacred Vishnu temples revered in the works of the Alvars, the Tamil saint-poets.
According to the Skanda Purana (Kerala Khanda), the deity was installed by the sage Divakara Muni, and the temple's origins are linked to the legendary king Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, who dedicated his kingdom to Padmanabhaswamy in 1750 CE. The iconography is unique: the deity is visible through three doors—the first shows the face and chest, the second the navel and lotus, and the third the feet. This arrangement symbolizes the cosmic form of Vishnu as described in the Vishnu Purana (1.2.1-5). The temple is renowned for its vast underground vaults (kallaras), which have yielded immense treasures, making it one of the wealthiest temples in the world.
Tradition holds that these vaults contain offerings from centuries of devotees and royal patrons. Padmanabhaswamy is worshiped primarily in Kerala and South India, with major festivals including Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Navaratri, and the Alpasi Utsavam. The deity's consort is Lakshmi, and his mount is Adishesha. The temple's architecture and rituals follow the Tantra tradition, and the deity is considered the protector of the Travancore royal family.
In Hindu cosmology, Padmanabhaswamy represents Vishnu as the supreme being who sustains the universe while reclining on the cosmic serpent in the ocean of milk, a theme central to the Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharata (Shanti Parva).
Names by which the divine is addressed
What they hold
Form, mudras, weapons & vahana
Reclining form of Vishnu on Adishesha. Brahma emerges from the navel lotus. The deity is visible through three doors.