The Child of "AnanthanKaadu"

Lately I been writing all about "Kerela" connection in my Blog I guess..!Starting from Vishu festival with new year mood that had not gone away yet.I believe it also got to do with my excitement visiting Kerela again this year.Had plan to visit some famous Pilgrims spot and looking forward to it.So today I had came up with a place which I had a chance to visit during my pervious trip to Kerela,a place call Thiruvananthapuram.Yes a famous temple of Sri Padmanabha Swamy located here and one of the riches in the world too.

A temple is so splendid and ancient.I can feel the vibration of ancient past when I walk during my prayers offering there.Let look into the origins where there is a fascinating stories to tell.

Diwakara Munivar was a staunch Vishnu devotee. Desiring a darshan of the divine form of MahaVishnu, Diwakara Munivar decided to undertake unflinching penance  unto Narayana in the lush green areas of Aatharta Desa, meditating on his divine form. The penance continued for some time and Sriman Narayana, deciding to play with his ardent devotee appeared before him as a young boy of about 5 years of age.

Radiating divine light, with his hair tied up in a tiny bun and shining with jewels and gemstones, the child was the picture of beauty. The Munivar immediately took him into his hands and showered his affection on him. So deep was the instant impact of the boy’s oozing charm, that Diwakara Munivar asked the boy to stay with him in the ashrama and promised to provide him with the best of services available. “Oh radiant child, you have just given me the most valuable few seconds of my life. I do not know what is the power that makes me feel so immensely elated in your presence. I beseech of you, will you agree to remain with me in this beautiful aashrama?”, begged the munivar. Vishnu, desirous of enjoying his devotee’s loving offer agreed to stay, provided that one condition be satisfied. “Oh swami,”, the child answered, his voice so mellifluous that it put even the  sugar-throated cuckoo to shame, “I will stay with you in this place, but never once should you scold or hit me in a fit of anger. If you agree to this condition, I will stay with you. If you break this condition, I promise that I will run away”. Diwakara Munivar was floating on the clouds on the child’s acceptance and immediately agreed to this condition. MahaVishnu entered the ashrama of the munivar  and took his place there.

Years passed and Diwakara Munivar showered the boy with all his love and affection. Keeping in mind his promise, he did not allow himself to be angered by the mischevious deeds of the child. The boy too enjoyed the company of the munivar and grew up with the best of things around him. One day, Maha Vishnu decided that the time was ripe to reveal himself to his devotee. When the munivar was performing his morning pooja, the child walked upto him, took the salagrama from its ordained place and put it in his mouth. Shocked though he was at this act of irreverence to the divine stone, Diwakara Munivar held onto his calm. Then the child rolled the stone around his mouth and made such a noise that the rishi lost his patience there. He pulled the child towards him and chastised him for his behavior. Immediately, the child ran away, shouting out, “If you desire to see me, come to Ananthan kaadu (forest of Anantha)”.

The munivar immediately felt ashamed at his lack of control. He stopped taking food, and roamed around in a state of anxiety, all the while searching for the beloved boy. He asked everyone about the location of Ananthan Kaadu but only in vain. Then one day, he saw a mother chastising her child. “… if you do that again, I will leave you in Ananthan kaadu…”, she told her son. Pricking his ears at the mention of the place, the munivar asked her about the location of the forest. Finding out the directions from her, he hurried towards the place as fast as his legs could take him. 

He entered a lush forest, filled with trees and the sounds of birds and animals, and immediately started calling out to the child. The boy suddenly appeared at a distance, and beckoning to the munivar, ran away from him. The munivar followed him, rushing with all his strength. All at once, the boy entered a gigantic  Iluppa tree and the tree came down with an almighty crash. The entire forest quietened down in the aftermath of the large crash. When the dust cleared, what a stupendous sight unfolded in front of the munivar’s eyes.

                         Anantha Padmanabha Swamy

Sri Narayana, in all his divine splendour lay on his majestic serpent, Anantha. The purana states that the head of Vishnu was at Thiruvallam and his lotus feet lay at Tripappur, which according to present day comes out to be around 13km. Bewildered by the awesome sight and unable to take it all in at once, the Munivar viewed the Lord in three different sections- His head and chest, His sacred lotus bearing Navel (PadmaNabha), and His divine feet. He then requested the lord to reduce his size, so that his eyes may have the joy of having his complete darshan. The lord too shrunk himself and spoke to the munivar, “It is to test you that I came as a boy who gave you countless tortures. I wish to remain in this place and grant people happiness and good fortune. As an honor to your unflinching devotion to me, the priests of my temple will have to belong to the Tulu Brahmin community from which you hail. Long live your devotion. Shubhamasthu”. Saying thus, the lord turned into a gigantic idol around which Diwakara Munivar built the preliminary temple dedicated to Padmanabha.

It is believed that for the first pooja, he had nothing to offer to the lord and finding a raw mango, he placed it in a coconut shell and lovingly offered it as naivedhya, a custom that is still followed today, when the noon  naivedhyam consists of raw mango pickle in a golden coconut shell. Thus did Padmanabha come down to earth, and he continues to lie in Ananthan Kaadu blessing his devotees with health and prosperity. We today know this place as ThiruAnanthapuram, named after the holy Anantha on which the lord lies.

                       Padmanabha Temple,Thiruananthapuram

Padmanabha Swamy