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Showing posts from January 25, 2007


Temples in Trivandrum, Kerala

Trivandrum or Thiruvananthapuram is home to some of the most popular Hindu temples in India . Thiruvananthapuram itself means ‘City of Lord Anantha .’ Some of the most important Trivandrum temples are listed below. Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple : This Dravidian style temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The idol is in the Anananthasayanam posture. The lord is in reclining position over Adi Shesha or Anantha. The temple is located in the heart of the city in East Fort. Only Hindus are allowed in the temple. Men should be in ‘mundu’ (dhoti) and should not wear anything on the upper part. Women should be in ‘sari.’ Even Churidhar is not allowed in. (It might sound strange but things are like this at this temple. Hope it changes for the good) Young girls are allowed in with Pavadai. No mobile phones or cameras are allowed inside. There is small counter in the temple premise which provides dhoti and pavadi to visitors at a fee. It also keeps your foot wears.

Catholic Church with Hindu and Buddhist Symbols

You will find the statue of Christ in padmasna posture at the Jagat Jyothi Mandir, a meditation centre constructed by the Quilon Social Service Society (QSSS), on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake at Parimanam in Kollam District, Kerala. The statue of Christ resembles Buddha. Christ and the 12 Apostles sit on the floor and are served on banana leaves in the famous last supper painting found here. Ignatius Pereira writes in The Hindu The walls of the mandir are decorated with symbols of `pancha boothas' and the four Gospels are represented as vulture ( St. John ), bull (St. Luke), lion (St. Mark) and angel (St. Matthew). Symbols of all religions are painted on the roof. In fact, the mandir looks like a typical Hindu temple with a 12-foot-tall stone lamp in front. Incidentally, the Kollam diocese to which the new church belongs had adopted the Hindu symbol ‘ OM ’ two decades ago.