Thread by @Itishree001

There is a very famous legends
associated to the origin of the idol of Shri Padmanabha Swamy which also finds a mention in the palm leaf records of the temple in the name of "Ananthasayana Mahatmya"

According to this legend there was a Tulu Brahmin named Divakara Muni who was a great devote of Lord Vishnu .Pleased by his prayer lord appeared before him as a lovely child . The muni requested the God-Child to stay with him .

The child agreed but with a condition that no matter he does the muni shouldn't disrespect him.
One day the child took the Salagrama of Puja & kept it in his mouth mischievously
Muni became angry with this act of the child .So the child dissapeared informing that he would be

found again only in Ananthankaadu
Divakara muni understood who the child was .He travelled long distance and finally reach Arabian Sea shore and find a glimpse of the child disappearing into a huge luppa tree(Indian Butter tree)
The tree fell down & became AnananthaSayana statue

The Murthi was so large that the head was at Thiruvallam( 3 mile ftom present temple) ,Navel at Thiruvanathapuram(present temple),and Feet at Trippapur (5 mile north of the temple)

The Sanyasi prayed to the lord to decrease in size so that he could see all of Him at once.
Then the image of lord shrank to a size of 3 times the length of Muni's Yoga Danda.
And that is the present size of the Idol .
He offered Raw mango as Naiveidya
In a coconut shell.

Same offering is offered till now in a golden coconut shell.
Another legendens is same only name is Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar.

📸pic r not original, downloded from
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