Mysterious History of Ananthapura Lake Temple

The city itself gets its name from Ananthapadmanabhan – Lord Vishnu reclining in Ananthasayana pose on his serpent-god. Kasargod is a place famous for temples, cave shrines and religious rituals. Ananthapura is five km from Kumbla, a northern town in Kasargod district, and 30km from the historical town of Bekal.

Being the lone lake temple in the state, it receives many visitors – tourists and devotees. This ninth-century temple is said to be the seat of Padmanabha, from Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Trivandrum. The temple’s Panchaloha idol is said to be replaced by a one of ‘Kadusharkara Paaka’, remarkable for the fact that it is made of katchi mara and then coated with layers of Ayurvedic herbs and other elements, including musk from musk deer.

According to visitors and devotees, a lone crocodile in the lake guards the temple; the current one appeared after a British soldier had shot the previous one in 1945. The temple priests feed the reptile.

The temple, built in granite, stands in the centre of the lake, which in turn is located on a hill. A foot-bridge connects the temple to the lotus-filled lakeside. The temple has a ‘Chuttambalam’, an enclosed verandah around a temple. The view from the temple is just amazing. The insides of the temple and the walls have wood carvings, murals and paintings.

It is easily reachable from Kasargod and Kannur as well as from Mangalore and Coorg in Karnataka.