Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram

According to legend, Lord Vishnu, pleased by the intense penance of a Vishnu-devotee named Divakara Muni, appeared before him as a mischievous child and led the sage into the Ananthankadu forest, where He revealed His vast Ananta Shayana form. As the sage could not build a temple large enough for this form, the Lord promised to remain there in that very posture forever, this legend is said to have given the city its name, Thiruvananthapuram ('the holy city of Anantha').

In the sanctum, Lord Vishnu reclines on the serpent Adishesha as an 18-foot Ananta Shayana idol made of 12,008 saligrams, so vast that darshan is offered through three separate doors, the first showing the head and hands, the second the navel region, and the third the feet. In 1750, Travancore's ruler Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma performed the 'Thrippadidanam', dedicating his entire kingdom to Lord Padmanabha, after which Travancore's rulers have styled themselves 'Padmanabha Dasa' (servant of Padmanabha).

The temple's architecture presents a striking blend of Dravidian style and Kerala's local tradition, including a 100-foot gopuram and long corridors lined with carved pillars. Entry is permitted only to Hindu devotees, men must wear a mundu/dhoti without a shirt and women a saree or mundum neriyathum; dhotis are also available for rent at the entrance.

In 2011, a Supreme Court-ordered inspection of the temple's vaults uncovered a vast trove of gold, jewels, and precious artefacts, leading it to be counted among the world's wealthiest temples, five of the six vaults were opened, while Vault B was left unopened as it is considered sacred. In 2020, the Supreme Court resolved the long-running dispute by upholding the former Travancore royal family's right to manage the temple as its trustees (shebaits).