An Exquisite Bronze Idol of Vishnu as Ananta Padmanabha Swami
A hard-to-find, handmade bronze idol of the deity of Anant Padmanabha Swami temple in Kerala. Know about Padmanabha by <a href="https://www.cottage9.com/blog/philosophy-of-reclining-vishnu-statues/">clicking here</a>. The idol is in a beautifully reclined pose. Lord Padmanabha is the main revered deity in the Shree Padmanabhaswami Temple of Thiruvananthapuram, the city of Lord Ananta. Lord Vishnu has many names. One of them is Padmanabha, where the Padma means lotus and Nabha means navel. The one from whose navel the lotus has come out is Padmanabha. <br> <br>Vishnu as Padmanabha Swami is seen reclining on Adisesha or Ananta (also called Anantashayana), a devotee-servant of Lord Vishnu. He serves as his couch in the form of a gigantic snake. Shesha shades Vishnu with his hoods while the five coils in his body do to become a majestic, comfortable bed. <br> <br>Lord Vishnu is depicted with two arms, and both of his hands hold a lotus flower. His right one is resting, and his other arm is slightly raised upward and bent from the elbow. A lotus flower has emerged from his navel where Lord Brahma is depicted sitting. <br> <br>Lord Vishnu is adorned with jewelry. A kritimukuta can be seen on his head and a necklace on his neck. His feet are resting on a lotus flower. On the left side of Lord Padmanabha ’s chest, there is a triangular-shaped mark called Shrivatsa which means €œBeloved of Shri '' (his consort resides in this mark). <br> <br>The sheshnaga is depicted very beautifully. Each fold of the coil is visible and looks really real. The serpent has seven hoods that face inward, representing concentration. This bronze statue is placed on a rectangular bed-shaped pedestal. Using the traditional Lost-wax technique, this statue has been expertly made by our artists.
