Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram is dedicated to Vishnu and is one of the 108 Divya Desams. It blends Kerala and Tamil architecture, and its gopuram, begun in 1566, is described as Pandyan. The gopuram stands 100 feet (30 m) high in seven tiers. A corridor holds 365 and a quarter sculpted granite pillars, and the Ottakkal-mandapam platform is cut from a single stone.
The deity is made from 12,008 saligrams from the Gandaki River and is covered in an ayurvedic mix. It reclines on the five-hooded serpent Ananta and is seen through three doors. The idol was re-consecrated in 1731 after a major renovation.
In 1750, King Anizham Thirunal dedicated his kingdom to the deity. After the Kerala High Court ruled for state control in 2011, the Supreme Court ordered an inventory of the vaults. Only Hindus may enter.
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