Page 19 - history_Classical

Trivandrum or currently known as Thiruvananthapuram is a city of cultural and historical
value. The early rulers of the city were the Ays. Vizhinjam, which is now a region in the
present-day Thiruvananthapuram, was the capital of the Ay dynasty. Vizhinjam was an
important port city from as early as 2nd century BC.[34][35] During the Ay dynasty rule,
Thiruvananthapuram witnessed many battles in which the Chola and Pandyan dynasties
attempted to capture the port town. The name of the city of Thiruvananthapuram in
Malayalam translates to "The City of Lord Ananta".

There is a Hindu temple situated around the
center of the city called The Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple.The Temple was Constructed
back in the 18 century by Maharaja Marthanda Varma. The Temple is built in a
th
Comlicated fusion of Chera style and the Dravidian style of architecture, featuring
high walls, and a 16th-century gopura. The Sree padmanabha Swami Temple has a
resemblance of the Ananthapura temple at Kumbla in Kasaragod.

Several extant Hindu Texts, like the Vishnu Purana,[6] Brahma Purana,[7] Matsya Purana,[8]
Varaha Purana, Skanda Purana, Padma Purana, Vayu Purana, Bhagavata Purana and the
Mahabharata mention this shrine. Temple has been referred to in the (only recorded)
Sangam period of literature between 500 BCE and 300 CE several times.

Many Historians and scholars think that the temple had a name called “The Golden Temple”
because of the unimaginable wealth of the temple by that point. There are many festivals
associated with this temple. The major festivals are bi-annual. The Alpashy festival which is
in October/November and the Panguni festival which is in Tamil month Panguni,
March/April,
There are many Mythologies related to the temple such as a curse, a snake god theory,
ocean theory etc. It is belived that the origin of the temple is believed to be “lost in
antiquity”. The temple contains six vaults built under the sanctum sanctorum. While
five of the six vaults have been opened, Vault-B, the secret vault remains unopened,
opposed by the royal family on the grounds that opening the vault would invite God’s
anger. Elderly residents living in and around the temple also recalled having heard
stories of how opening the B-vault would trigger a flood as per the Ocean theory.
The Snake God theory tells that there is a surpent (A large Cobra) which protects the
B – vault from being open. Theories also suggest a way to open the vault , which is
only by a sadhu who knows Garuda mantra but sadly there are no such saints in
India wo know the garuda mantra. If the vault was opened using man made
techniques, it would lead to great catastrophese. About a century ago when the city
faced severe famine the temple officials decided to open the vault but stoped on
hearing the sound of rushing water . The stories went on as the temple and the