The Special Sacred Shrine of Lord Mahavishnu Situated in the Middle of a Lake!

 

You may have heard of the Shri Ananthapadmanabha Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Keralam, one of the richest temples in the world. If you are reading this article, you may have visited the temple at least once and had the darshan of Lord Mahavishnu. But do you know where the original abode of Ananthapadmanabha Swamy is? To put it simply, just as the Shri Manjunatha Swamy Temple at Dharmasthala and the Sri Manjunatha Temple at Kadri are connected, there is also a connection between the Shri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram and this temple. The famous vegetarian crocodile "Babiya", which was well known across India, lived in the lake surrounding this very temple! By now, you may have guessed which temple I am talking about! This is the Ananthapura Sri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Temple, located at Naikap in Kumbla, Kasaragod district, near Mangaluru.

Many years ago, before the Shri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Temple was established in Thiruvananthapuram, a sage named Divakara Muni, also known as Vilvamangalam, lived in Ananthapura at Kumbla. He was a devotee of Lord Krishna and is said to have composed works including Krishnakarnamrutham. He lived there performing worship and penance to the Lord. One day, a young boy appeared before the sage. Seeing the radiance and divine glow on the child's face, the sage asked him about himself. The boy said that he had neither a father nor a mother, nor anyone related to him at home. The sage then asked him to stay with him. The boy agreed on one condition: "You should never insult me or look at me angrily." Thus, the boy stayed there, but as the days passed, his mischievous behaviour increased. One day, when he even put the Saligrama that the sage was worshipping into his mouth, the sage became angry and pushed the boy aside. The boy then said, "If you want to see me again, you must come to Ananthanakadu (Ananthankadu)!" He then entered a cave that was there and disappeared. Realising that the boy was none other than Lord Mahavishnu Himself, the sage regretted the way he had behaved and followed the boy through the same cave in search of him. The passage through the cave extended all the way to the sea in the southern direction. After reaching the seashore, the sage continued his journey. Eventually, when he reached the region of Ananthankadu, the moment the sage saw the divine boy again, the boy disappeared into a huge Ippi (Mahua) tree standing there. Immediately, the tree fell down and transformed into a gigantic idol of Sriman Narayana (Ananthashayana) reclining on Adishesha. According to the local Sthala Purana, the Shri Ananthapadmanabha Temple in Thiruvananthapuram was established at the very place where the Ippi tree transformed into the idol.

 

Around 2 acres in area, this temple has been built in the middle of a natural lake, and there is a bridge to cross the lake and reach the temple. Looking at the remains visible around the temple, it appears that the present temple building was once part of a much larger temple complex. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple and the Namaskara Mantapa are both built in the middle of the lake. As for the idol of the deity, while in Thiruvananthapuram one can see Sriman Narayana reclining on the thousand-hooded Adishesha, here one can see Sriman Narayana seated on the five-hooded Adishesha, with Sridevi and Bhudevi on either side. Another special feature here is the way the idol of the deity was made. Generally, in most temples, idols of deities are made from stone, Panchaloha, gold, or other materials, using either stone or metal. However, here the idol of Ananthapadmanabha Deva was made using more than 70 materials possessing medicinal properties, employing a traditional method known as Kadusharkara Paka.

 

Babiya-the crocodile which lived at this temple lake for almost 77 years
Image credits: Google

The temple became particularly famous because of the lake surrounding the sanctum and the crocodile named "Babiya" that lived in it. Crocodiles are generally carnivorous animals. However, Babiya lived only by eating the rice offered as Naivedya by the temple priests during the afternoon! This was one of the most astonishing features of this place. Before Babiya appeared, in 1945, a British soldier shot and killed a crocodile living in the lake. Within a few days of killing it, he died after being bitten by a poisonous creature, and another crocodile appeared in the lake. That crocodile was the Babiya crocodile, which lived near Ananthapadmanabha for approximately 77 years! It never harmed the devotees who visited the temple or the temple priests and simply lived peacefully in the lake. Due to old age, Babiya passed away in 2022 and is believed to have attained the feet of the Lord. Some time after Babiya's death, another crocodile appeared here. Thus, whenever one crocodile dies, another crocodile appears here within a short period. No one knows where these crocodiles come from or how a crocodile comes to live alone near the Lord for such a long period. When entering the temple, if you go to the right before the bridge built to cross the lake, you can still see the cave where Lord Mahavishnu, in the form of a young boy, disappeared. The temple's crocodile lives in this cave and in the surroundings of the lake. The crocodile currently living here is rarely seen by people. Perhaps it still needs to become accustomed to the movement of people. Nevertheless, whenever it comes out of the water, it remains peaceful like Babiya and does not harm anyone, simply going about its own way. The crocodile living here is believed to be a manifestation of the Lord.

 

Lord Ananthapadmanabha

Ananthapura Shri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Temple is approximately 5.4 km from Kumbla town and is located at Naikap on the Kumbla–Badiyadka Road. The temple is approximately 40 km from Mangaluru. If travelling from Mangaluru, take NH 66, the Panvel–Kanyakumari National Highway, towards Kasaragod and reach Kumbla. From there, turn left onto the Kumbla–Badiyadka Road and at Naikap, turn right and continue to reach the temple. There are plenty of buses from Mangaluru to Kasaragod and all buses stop at Kumbla. From Kumbla, Naikap can be reached by bus or auto-rickshaw. If travelling by train, Kumbla Railway Station is the nearest railway station to the temple, approximately 5.7 km away. However, not all trains stop at Kumbla Railway Station. Therefore, one can travel through the major railway stations near the temple, such as Kasaragod Railway Station (approximately 13.6 km), Mangaluru Junction (approximately 42.1 km) or Mangaluru Central (approximately 41.7 km). Mangaluru International Airport is the nearest airport to Ananthapura Temple, at a distance of approximately 53.7 km from the temple. 

Those who wish to see the beauty of the temple and the lake can visit during the daytime. Deeparadhana is performed here every evening. At this time, seeing the deity in the light of the lamps around the sanctum offers a completely different experience! Therefore, those who have time can visit the temple in the evening. Along with Ananthapura Temple, visitors can also visit three of the four main temples of the Kumbla region: Kanipura Shri Gopalakrishna Temple in Kumbla town, Mujangavu Shri Parthasarathi Temple located very close to Ananthapura Temple and Madhur Shri Madanantheshwara Siddhivinayaka Temple, located approximately 8 km from Ananthapura Temple.

The temple, which is currently witnessing celebrations associated with its renovation and Brahmakalashotsava, will hold the Brahmakalashotsava in February next year, 2027. Every year on February 26, the grand annual festival is celebrated here with Darshana Bali and Bedi Seva. The uthsava and Darshana Bali of Lord Ananthapadmanabha is held around the lake surrounding the spacious sanctum are the special features of the annual festival here.

If you have never visited Ananthapura Temple, do make it a point to visit and receive the darshan of Lord Ananthapadmanabha. At the same time, please do not forget to maintain the cleanliness and sanctity of this sacred place!

🖊️ Shreekara B

Shantakaram Bhujagashayanam Padmanabham Suresham

Vishvadharam Gaganasadrisham Meghavarnam Shubhangam |

Lakshmikantam Kamalanayanam Yogihṛdyānamgamyam

Vande Vishnum Bhavabhayaharam Sarvalokaikanatham ||