Shree Padmanabha Swamy Temple

Table of Contents

Shree Padmanabha Swamy- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 1: Indian History- Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Recently, the Supreme Court extended time till August 31, 2022 for completion of the special audit of 25 years for the iconic Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple.

In 2020, the Supreme Court had handed over the administration of the temple from the erstwhile Travancore Royal Family to an Administrative Committee headed by a District Judge of Thiruvananthapuram.
The Supreme Court also ordered the Administrative Committee to initiate an audit of the temple’s income and expenses for the past 25 years.
In this backdrop, the Trust had approached the Supreme Court, arguing that they were an independent institution formed in 1965 to conduct the religious rituals of the temple and that they have no role in the day-to-day administration of the temple.
The Supreme Court recognized the “shebait” rights of the ex-royal family but handed over the administration to the Administrative Committee, which was to be headed by the District Judge of Thiruvananthapuram.
- Earlier, the Kerala High Court had declared that the royal family has no rights over the temple.
- According to the HIgh Court, the rights of family had ceased to exist with the death of the last ruler of Travancore, in 1991.
The Court had also directed the temple to repay to the State Government amount to the tune of Rs 11.70 Crores expended by the State for the security and maintenance of the Temple.

About: The Shree Padmanabha Swamy temple is believed to dates back to the 8th century.
- However, the present Shree Padmanabha Swamy temple structure was built in the 18th century by the then Travancore Maharaja Marthanda Varma.
Construction: The the Shree Padmanabha Swamy temple was initially made of wood but later it was constructed with granite.
Architectural Style: The the Shree Padmanabha Swamy temple is built in the unique Chera style of architecture.
- its main deity is Lord Vishnu who is found in the Anantha Shayana posture (reclined posture of eternal yoga) on Adishesha or king of all serpents.
Significance: Shree Padmanabha Swamy temple is known to be one of the 108 holy temples associated with Vaishnavism in India.