Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu is located in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala. This temple is one of the 108 DivyaDesam temples considered as sacred abodes of Lord Vishnu in India and is the most visited spots in Kerala.The Temple is built magnificently in the famous Dravidian Style of Architecture. It is of immense historical and religious significance as it belongs to the Sangam Period dating back between 500 BC and 300 AD.
The temple lies very close to a holy tank called Padma Theertham adding to the beauty and grandeur of the Temple. The major attraction of the temple is the statue of the main deity of the temple- Lord AnanthPadmanaswamy (Vishnu) reclining in a posture of AnanthSayanam (eternal sleep) on the Anantha-the 5 headed serpent. This idol is made from 12008 salagramams or shillas collected from the bank of River Gandak in Nepal.
This temple is found to be mentioned in the most ancient Hindu scriptures like SkandaPuranas and, therefore is highly regarded among devotees and pilgrims. There are two major festivals celebrated here annually- the Alphasy festival in October/November and the Panguni festival in the months of March & April, lasting for 10 days each.