Ananthapura Lake Temple:
Ananthapura Lake Temple is a temple the only Lake Temple in the God's Own Country, the Kerala State. The temple is dedicated to the Ananthapadmanabha Swamy, lord Vishnu. This is located at the near end of the northern portion of Kerala. The Temple is in the Kasargod District the northern most district of Kerala State bordering Karnataka State.
Ananthapura Lake Temple:
Sree Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Temple. Kerala has 2 temples dedicated to Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy a form of Lord Vishnu, one of the three main gods of the Hindus known as the thrimurthis (3 gods). The thrimurthis are the lord Brahma – the creator, Lord Vishnu - the sustainer, protector or the benevolent and Lord Siva - the god of Death and destruction. Of the two temples dedicated to Thiru Anantha Padmanabha Swamy, Ananthapura Lake Temple is one at the North end and the Thiru Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple of Thiruvananthapuram is at the Southern end of Kerala State.
The Ananthapura lake temple is located as the name indicates, in the middle of a lake known as the Ananthapura Lake. The deity is of course Anantha Padmanabha swamy – the lord resting on the Anantha the Serpent king with 7 hoods as a cushion/bed. While the lord in Ananthapura Lake is in a sitting posture, the lord of Thiruvananthapuram is in a reclining (lying in deep meditation – yoga nidra) posture.
Ananthapura Lake Temple Location:
The temple is located in the Kasargod District of Kerala State. It is 5 km from Kumbla, a small town in the district and 13 km north of Kasargod town along the National Highway. The temple is in a beautiful lake, situate on a calm, tranquil and beautiful rocky hill. From the top of the hill the places around can be seen as a beautiful green natural scenery. The temple houses a beautiful of the deity of Sree Anantha Padmanabha swamy seated on the Adi Sesha. This shrine is an ancient one with a known status from 6th century onwards. The shrine is having a prakaram (Chuttambalam) all around with walls like an enclosed veranda. The walls decorated with murals. There is a cave which ends in a pond. It is believed that the level of water in the pond will be at the same level at all seasons without increasing or decreasing. Near to the temple there is a rivulet known as papnasini. It is believed that the papnasini has the divine powers and will cleanse the souls by removing the sins. This temple has one of the best Koothambalams in Kerala. The shrine is supported by 30 granites and the floor is made by square granite blocks.
The unique attraction and feature of Ananthapura lake temple: It is believed that the temple is also has crocodile. This is the main attraction and uniqueness of Kerala's only lake temple. The local call it as Babia and believe that the crocodile is there to guard the temple. It is also believed that there will only one crocodile at any time. If one dies another mysteriously comes from somewhere. According to the local people and one of the trustees Sri Ramachandra Bhatt, the present crocodile is about 60 years old, though some people believe it to be 150 years old. This crocodile is supposed to be purely vegetarian. It eats the offerings of the temple given to it after the noon offerings. The main item is the nei payasam (rice porridge with jaggery and ghee). The locals and the temple authorities say that there are fishes the lake but the crocodile does not eat them nor does it hurt anybody. They also feel that the crocodile gives indications if any impending unhappiness is going to take place in the area.
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