Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Temple - Ananthapura Lake Temple

A pure epitome of craftsmanship, Ananthapura lake temple is the only of its in Kerala and is crafted out of a huge rock. This is the only lake temple in Kerala believed to be formed much before the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The legend of the temple is associated with a great sage Vilwamangalam Swamy, who was an earnest devotee of lord Vishnu. When the sage was doing poojas for Vishnu in the holy spot of the temple, lord Krishna used to visit him disguised as a little boy with some mischievous pranks. The Swamy used to enjoy the mischief of the boy and tolerate him on most of the occasions.

But one day when the naughty tricks of the boy became intolerable, the Swamy got annoyed and pushed the boy aside with his left hand. The boy fell in the lake and immediately disappeared into a cave which made him worry. The sage then heard a divine voice ‘If you want to see me, come to Ananthankadu (the forest of Serpent Ananta)’. Then only he realized that the child was none other than God himself. Walking a long way crossing a number of months towards the South, he finally reached a wooded area, which is the present Thiruvananthapuram. There, he had a magnificent vision of lord Vishnu in reclining posture.

Still, one can see a huge cave in the northeast corner of the Ananthapura lake which is believed to be the cave where the little boy disappeared. People believe that the cave connects this place to Thiruvananthapuram temple. In front of the cave is a small pit with water, which maintains a constant level at all seasons and is considered sacred for some reasons. As per the temple authorities, about 70 years back, a British soldier shot dead the crocodile present in the lake. Surprisingly, that soldier died by a snake bite within a few days and another crocodile appeared. Since there is no water source nearby for a crocodile to survive, its appearance remains a mystery.

It is believed that there will be only one crocodile here all the time and when it dies, another one mysteriously appears from somewhere. Another incredible fact is that the crocodile here is a total vegetarian and does not harm anyone and even the creatures in the lake. The offerings given to God will be served by the temple authorities and the pilgrims as its food. Every day after the noon worship at the temple, the crocodile appears, eats the food offered and goes back to the cave. As per the temple authorities, that crocodile also serves as a messenger of God and gives some specific signals whenever there are some unpleasant events going to happen around.