Religious Places

Sri Anantha Padmanabha Temple In Karnataka

Written by Sudhir Kumar

Kudupu is famous for Shri Ananta Padmanabha Temple. Nearest schools are Government Primary School Kudupu, St. Joseph The Worker Primary School Vamanjoor, St. Raymonds High School Vamanjoor, Mangala Jyothi, Dharma Jyothi. Other Educational institutes are St. Joseph Engineering College, Vamanjoor and Karavali College of Pharmacy.

About Sri Anantha Padmanabha Temple :

Kudupu Sri Anantha Padmanabha Temple houses a holy pond ‘Bhadra Saraswathi Thirtha’ to its left side. Well-known for serpent worship, its main deity is Lord Anantha Padmanabha, who is facing towards the west. In eastern part of the temple, Naga Bana (hundreds of serpent idols) lies. Opposite to the temple, a small shrine dedicated to sub-deity Jarandaya can be found.

Other sub-deities of the temple are Goddess Shree Devi, Lord Mahaganapathi Lord Subramanya, Jaya and Vijaya. Outside the temple complex lie the shrines of Ayyappa and Navagraha along with Valmika Mantapa. Annual festival Shashti and Nagarapanchami are celebrated with immense fervour at the temple.

Attractions Of Sri Anantha Padmanabha Temple In Karnataka :

Sri Anantha Padmanabha Temple is well-known for serpent worship. Main deity Lord Anantha Padmanabha is facing towards the west. Naga Bana (hundreds of serpent idols) though situated in eastern part of the temple it is also facing towards west.

The temple at Kudupu also houses a holy pond “Bhadra Saraswathi Thirtha” which is situated left side of the temple.

A small shrine dedicated to Sub-deity Jarandaya can be found opposite to the temple. Goddess Shree Devi, Lord Mahaganapathi Lord Subramanya, Jaya and Vijaya are main sub-deities of the temple.

The shrines of Ayyappa and Navagraha along with Valmika Mantapa are located outside the temple.

Annual festival Shashti, which falls in December is a famous religious ceremony is celebrated here with great devotion. Nagarapanchami, a worship of sacrificing the milk to Lord Naga is another festival is celebrated which attracts a large number of devotees.

Features Sri Anantha Padmanabha Temple In Karnataka :

Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city of Kerala State, South India. This famous temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

A seven-tier Gopuram (about 100 feet tall) and Padma Theertha, the holy tank outside, offer an elegant look to the shrine. The 25-foot-broad corridor with 324 pillars leads one to the sanctum. The pillars are exquisitely carved with figures of beautiful young girls bearing Deepas (lamp) in their hands. This corridor was once used for daily feeding of devotees. This is now being utilised for conducting religious programmes. An 80-foot-tall golden flagstaff adorns the shrine. The Kulashekara Mandapam and Navaratri Mandapam are fine examples of wonderful Dravidian architecture. The Kulashekara Mandapam contains 24 pillars of eye-catching sculptures and four musical pillars. Noteworthy among the sculptures are scenes from Ramayana, Lord Krishna with flute in hand playing around with Gopikas, His famous Kalingamardhana, devotee Markandeya embracing Lord Shiva and the Vamanaavataar (Lord Vishnu in the form of dwarf Vamana). Some of the 18th century mural paintings around the sanctum arrest the pilgrims attention.

The Sanctum Lord Ananta Padmanabhaswami is reclining on the thousand-hooded Adisesha or Ananta, absorbed in Yoganidra with Sridevi and Bhoodevi by His side. Brahma is seen in a lotus emanating from the Lords naval and a Linga is seen near the left hand which shows Chinmudra. Garuda, Narada, Indra and all other Devas and Rishis are seen worshipping the Lord. This depicts the Brahmaanda Rahasyam when the Lord appeared at the beginning of a Yuga. To have darshan of the Lord, one has to climb a Mandapam made of a single stone slab (Otrakkal Mandapam in Malayalam) in front of the sanctum. The Lord is worshipped through three doors the face in the south, the navel in the middle and holy feet in the north.

Postal Address :

Shri Ananthapadmanabha Temple,
Kudupu, Mangalore,
Dakshina Kannada district,
Karnataka, INDIA
Pin code: 574508

How to get there :

Nearest Airport : Mangalore

Nearest Railhead : Mangalore

Road : Kudupu is located on Mangalore – Moodbidri road. Frequent busses ply between Mangalore and Karkala has a stop at Kudupu Temple.

About the author

Sudhir Kumar

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