The main murti of Ananta Padmanabhaswamy in Sree
Padmanabhaswamy Temple will undergo refurbishment in September 2015. The murti
is depicted as sleeping on Ananta Sesha and with one hand in Abhaya Mudra
posture. The awe-inspiring murti of Sree Padmanabhaswamy is seen reclined on
the mighty five hooded serpent Anantha. The supreme God is in conscious cosmic
slumber with the head positioned to the south and the feet to the north.
Anantha spreads its hoods above the head of the Idol. From the
navel of the Lord emerges a lotus on which Lord Brahma is seated.
Just below the stretched right arm of the Lord is the Shiva Linga.
The original murti was of Iluppa wood and it was infused
into the present murti by certain complicated religious ritualistic processes.
The murti is made up of a highly complex amalgam termed Katusarkarayogam and
contains within it 12008 Salagramas collected from the bed of the River Gandaki
in Nepal. It is believed that Salagramas represent Lord Vishnu. Twelve
Salagramas when worshipped together gain the potency of a Mahakshetram (Great
Temple). Thus the mighty Ananthasayana Moorthy here gains the greatness and
sanctity of a thousand Mahakshetrams.
The New Indian Express reports
The refurbishment work on the main idol at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple will begin on September 2.
A change in the darshan timing will follow, till September 30, the temple management said here on Thursday.
“Darshan will be withheld between 11.30 am and 5 pm from September 2 to 30,” temple thantri Tharananalloor Parameswaran Namboodiripad, executive officer K N Satheesh and administration committee member C A Vijayakumar said.
The idol of Lord Sree Padmanabhaswamy is made of kadusarkara yogam, a complex mix of numerous ingredients like earth, kashayams, cereals, tree resins and spices.
A team led by Kanipayyur Makan Krishnan Namboodiripad carried out the work on the idol. The laborious task of preparing the kadusarkara yogam was executed by a team comprising Thekumanmadhom Pradeep Namboodiri, Ratheesh Namboodiri, Harikrishnan Namboodiri and Suresh Bhattathiripad.