Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram is the wealthiest religious institution in the world, with treasures estimated at over one trillion US dollars discovered in its vaults following a Supreme Court-ordered inventory in 2011. The temple is dedicated to Lord Padmanabha, a reclining form of Lord Vishnu lying on the cosmic serpent Ananta, and is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vaishnava tradition. The presiding deity is unique in scale: the reclining Vishnu is so large that the full form can only be seen through three separate doors of the sanctum. The temple was traditionally the royal temple of the Travancore dynasty, whose rulers considered themselves servants (dasa) of Lord Padmanabha, and even today the descendants of the royal family oversee its administration. Entry is restricted to Hindus, and strict dress codes apply: men must wear a mundu and enter bare-chested, while women must wear a sari. The temple complex showcases outstanding Kerala temple architecture with a towering gopuram and intricate murals inside the mandapam.