Glimpses of heaven

“Padmanabhabha tumhaari leela, kya kahoon mein saawaro, thaap, sankat harane paayo, so hamaaro tuma haro” (How can I describe your greatness Padmanabha, the one who steps in remove obstacles and sorrows that we cannot overcome on our own) sang the great musician Maharaja Swati Thirunal Rama Varma (1813-1846) whose unswerving devotion to Padmanabha is evident from his compositions affixed with the mudra Padmanbha and its synonyms.

Swati Thirunal, who was well versed in both Hindustani and Carnatic music, proficient in 13 languages and a brilliant composer with over 400 compositions in his short life span of 33 years and Padmanabha the deity he worshipped, remains the most important attractions in Thiruvananthapuram.

The city known for its palaces, museums and the famous Kovalam beach thronged by visitors was in the middle of a dawn to dusk hartal, one of the many strikes that this communist bastion is famous for, the day I landed there.

All the shops in the main market were closed and with no public transport in sight, I escaped the otherwise bustling traffic to reach my hotel in a record twenty minutes from the airport.

“No one takes chances when “bandhs” and “hartals” are called and people come out only after the 6 pm when the deadline ends,” informs my cab driver Kunjumon, who describes mob fury and violent protests that have occurred in the past leaving me feeling grateful for the present state of calm.

With the controversy over the disappearance of wealth from its underground vaults and consequent developments, security around the Anantha Padmanbhaswamy temple has been beefed up.

The richest Hindu temple and one of the wealthiest institutions in the world in terms of assets in the form of gold, silver and precious stones, has an imposing entrance with a six-tiered Gopuram in golden hues built in a fusion of the indigenous Kerala and Dravidian styles.

The high walls and intricate architecture stand out in all their brilliance framing the skyline. After being frisked by security I reach the main entrance to the chanting of “Sahasranama” by a huge group of women seated in a mandapam towards the left.

Going past sculptured walls, smaller shrines housing different gods and intricate archways I reach the shrine of ‘Ugra Narasimha’. Devotees take the blessings of this fiery God before seeing Padmanabha.

From here one enters the sanctum sanctorum, which houses the magnificent eight feet idol of Vishnu in the ‘Anantha shayanam’ posture reclining on the serpent Adishesha. Visible in three different parts, one sees below Vishnu’s right hand, a ‘Shivalingam’ while the creator Brahma is seated in a lotus emerging from his navel.

This exquisitely sculpted idol is indeed unique with the Ananthasayana posture of Vishnu that we are familiar with coming alive in full splendour. Ardent devotees, temple musicians, and priests doling out prasadams add to the allure and leave you feeling humbled and blessed at the same time.

It is no wonder then, that the Maharaja of Travancore, whose titular deity is Padmanabha declared himself ‘Padmanabha Dasa’ (slave of Padmanabha) and members of the royal family visit the temple every day between seven and eight each morning.

“The Maharaja, who is the temple trustee, pays a fine every day to the temple when he is out of town and fails to seek his blessings,” the guide at the Kuthirimalika museum informs me. This temple of ancient antiquity is one of the 108 principal holy abodes (divya desams) of Vaishnavism and finds mention in several ancient texts. The 8th century Alvar Nammalvar is said to have sung 10 hymns in praise of Padmanabha.

A visit to the ‘Kuthiramalika palace’, which is pretty close to the temple, is an ‘out of the world’ experience. Pictures and paintings of royalty, wooden pillars with brilliant carvings, a crystal throne, a wide variety of musical instruments, durbar halls and libraries, horses carved out of wood adorning the place and glimpses of several other royal abodes like the ‘Rangvilas’ palace enhance the “Kerala experience”.

Adding to this ethereal feel are the mellifluous songs sung by Prince Rama Varma, an eminent classical musician and worthy descendant of Maharaja Swati Thirunal being played in the background. The Padmanabha temple can be viewed from each of the palaces in the vicinity as desired by the Maharajas.

A raised platform on the grounds abutting the Kuthiramalika palace is where the ‘Swati sangeethotsavam’ in memory of Swati Thirunal featuring eminent artistes is held in January every year since 17 years.

The Chitalayam near the Kuthiramalika Palace has paintings and photographs featuring members of the royal family and important events in their lives. On display are archaic methods used to develop photographs, some rare Ravi Varma paintings (there are more of these in the Napier museum) and a small prototype of the Padmanabha idol enclosed in a glass case.

As one walks through these palaces and temples one is transported to another time and space where poetry, dance, music and art enriched our life, history gave us an enduring perspective, divinity shaped our thoughts and royalty looked after people’s welfare.

For those who love a slice of history “Thiru Anantha puram” (the abode of Ananthapadmanabha) referred to as Thiruvananthapuram is definitely worth a visit.