Monday, 28 November 2011

Ananthapura Lake Temple, Kasaragod




Located around 30 km from Bekal, Ananthapura, a 9th century shrine is the only lake temple in Kerala and is the moolasthanam (original abode) of Anandapadmanabha, the deity of Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple, Thiruvananthapuram. A crocodile at the temple pond, said to be 150 year old is a major attraction.
Sree Mahalingeswara Temple, Adoor 
(45 km from Kasaragod) located in wooded surroundings on the southern banks of the River Payaswini, this ancient Siva Temple contains a Sanskrit inscription in Kannada script which has been ascribed to the Western Chalukya King Kirthivarman II (745 - 755 AD).
Location: Ananthapura,13 km towards the north along the national highway from Kasaragod town towards the northern direction, Kumbala, Kasaragod district, north Kerala.
Attraction: The Lake temple. Open to all visitors regardless of caste or creed.
A beautiful lake temple in Kerala, the Ananthapura Lake Temple (Sree Ananthapadmanabhaswamy temple) is an ancient shrine in the northern most district of Kerala. Sree Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu, The Preserver) seated on the serpent god Adisesha is the presiding deity here. The moolasthanam (original seat) of the deity is said to be the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram, where he reclines on the serpent god.
The temple is situated in the centre of the Ananthapura Lake, on a remote rocky hill in a calm isolated region. From here one can have a bird's eye view of the green landscape around. The local people believe that there is a lone crocodile living in the lake.
The shrine is encircled by a chuttambalam (an enclosed verandah running around the building), its walls are adorned by murals and there is a cave within that takes you to a small pond where the water level remains steady regardless of climatic changes.
Getting there :
Nearest railway station : Kasaragod, about 12 km
Nearest airport :Karipur International Airport, Kozhikode about 200 km


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