Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple: The real treasures



(Temple photo by Rainer Haessner)

While the world oohs and aahs over the precious stones and metals that were recently discovered at the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, India – Hindus who worship there have known all along that the real treasures are the deities.

The most prominent Temple deity is its namesake, Sree  Padmanabhaswamy.  Padmanabhaswamy is Vishnu in a reclining Yoga-nidra (meditative) state.  He is reclining upon Ananta-Shesha, the primal serpent that jumpstarts time and creation as it uncoils.  A lotus springs forth from Vishnu’s navel (hence the name padmanabha,  meaning “lotus-navel”) - and upon it sits Brahma.

Brahma (the “creator”) and Vishnu (the “maintainer”) are two of Hinduism’s trimurti (aka “three forms,” “Great Trinity” or “Hindu triad”) deities.  The third trimurti deity is Shiva (the “destroyer”).  Shiva is shown sitting beneath Sree Padmanabhaswamy’s outstretched right hand.

According to the Temple’s website, other Hindu deities have shrines there also.  Lord Narasimha is one of them.  He is a half-man (torso and lower body, half-lion (face and claws) avatar of Vishnu who is described in such holy texts as the Puranas and the Upanishads.  He is a consummate protector who is known to have disemboweled a demon or two.  One prayer to him concludes with these words:  You are the death of death and I surrender to you.

Another Temple shrine is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa.  According to Wikipedia, “he is considered to be born out of the union between Mohini (an avatar of Vishnu) and Shiva.”  He therefore has the combined powers of both his parents.  Lord Ayyappa is often called Manikanta because he wore a gem (mani) around his neck as a young child.

Widely-known deities that are worshipped at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple include Lord Ganesh (elephant-headed Remover of Obstacles), Lord Krishna (dark-blue Avatar of Vishnu), and Lord Rama (another Avatar of Vishnu – in company with his wife, Sita - and his brother, Lakshmana).

Resources

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/173949/20110704/india-treasure-unearth-temple-sree-padmanabhaswamy-temple-thiruvananthapuram-kerala-16th-century-hin.htm

http://www.sreepadmanabhaswamytemple.com/sree-padmanabhaswamy-temple-gods-goddess.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padmanabhaswamy_Temple

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimurti      

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narasimha

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayyappan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama

Copyright July 8, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved