Journal of the Indo Nordic Author’s collective

Ananthapura Lake Temple,

Kerala - A beautiful lake temple with a crocodile
guardian
Dr Uday Dokras.PhD SWEDEN

1. About 40 kms away from Mangalore and 15 kms away from Kasargod in a peaceful place
called Kumbla, lies Anathapura, Kerala’s only lake temple. The temple nestles serenely amidst
the abundant beauty of nature with a rectangular lake surrounding it on all sides.Built in the 9th
century, the Ananthapura Temple is said to be the original abode of Anandapadmanabha, the
deity of Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple, Thiruvananthapuram.
2. The Legend about the temple associates it with the great mystic and devotee of Lord Vishnu,
Sree Vilvamangalathu Swami, who dominates the ancient spiritual lake of Kerala. In fact, his
fame for extends the borders of Kerala. In Bengal he is popular as Bilvamgala. A legend
associated with Vilvamangalathu Swami describes the temple as the Moolasthanam of Sri
Padmanabha Swamy Temple of Thiruvananthapuram.
3.While Sage Vilvamangalthu Swami was doing penance in the holy spot, Lord Krishna used to
visit him disguised as a mischivous little boy. One day he did some pranks on him while the
swamigal doing his pooja. Swamigal, at his wits end, admonished the child and pushed him with
his back hand. The Lord, transformed into a ball of divine aura hastened through the cave. A
divne voice echoed “Now if you want to see me, come to Ananthankadu”. Then only
Vilvamangalathu Swami realised that the boy was none other than his own lord.
4. It is said that the sage also ran into the cave and going through the passage that formed there
he reached the Seashore and from there travelled southwords in search of Ananthankadu, At last
the sage reached a place which is the present location of Thiruvanathapuram, the capital of
Kerala, where he had the splendrons vision of Lord Vishnu. It was at this holy spot Eventually
Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple of Thiruvanathapuram came up.
5. On the north-East corner of the lake there is still a big cave with a small pit with a parennial
presence of water in it, Which is considered as a sacred Theertham. It is beleivered to be the cave
where boy Krishna disappeared.

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6. The seven original idols found in the temple are made of neither metal nor stone, but of a
combination of about 108 materials collected from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and are called
Kadusharkara yogam.The walls of the temple are adorned with spectacular murals and one of its
unique features is a 16th century epigraph with engravings in the Tulu script. A very old fort
named Sarpakattu, which means even a serpent cannot climb it, surrounds the temple. Tourists
and worshippers frequent this place and usually choose to stay in the Devaragudde Palace
nearby.
7.Babia - The Guardian Crocodile
What is perhaps most unique about this temple is the presence of Babia, a pure vegetarian
human-friendly male crocodile who lives in the cave and lake waters. In fact it is believed to
have existed there for many years and is revered as the guardian and messenger of the temple.
The legend goes that there is only one crocodile in the lake at a time. When one crocodile dies,
another one appears in the lake.
In actual fact, the temple authorities told that there were two crocodiles living here. One
crocodile was killed by the British when this temple was attacked. At present there is only one
crocodile, Babia, and Babia is believed to be 76 years old.
The temple officials feed it a gruel made of rice and jaggery, which is actually the prasadam
offered by the devotees. Babia religiously sticks to his lunch timings and is there at exactly 1:30
in the afternoon to have his lunch. He does not seem to mind that he is not offered any dinner.
Strangely, he seems to be completely satisfied with his vegetarian diet and does not harm anyone
not even the fish in the lake.

At any one time, there is always only one croc in the lake, and as bizarre as it may sound, each
time the guardian crocodile dies, another one pops up mysteriously and takes on the job of

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guarding the temple. Strange, but true! And to this day, no one knows how each new crocodile
appears in the lake. According to the legend, once a British soldier killed the guardian crocodile,
and in no time, another crocodile was seen in the lake guarding the temple. But, within a few
days, that British soldier died from a snakebite. Locals claim that the snake-god, Anantha,
punished him for his wrongdoing.

According to trustee of the temple,Ramachandra Bhatt, “the crocodile is a God’s messenger who
alarms the temple patrons if anything strange happens in and around the premises as well as
protects the shrine from evil”.

The vegetarian crocodile here is friendly and (since the soldier incident long agao) there has been
no incidence of harming anyone, not even the fishes in the lake. Interestingly, Babiya doesn’t eat
anything except the offerings (or ‘Prasad’) from the temple and eats only when the temple
official feeds him.

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Today, several thousands of devotees and tourists visit this temple to catch a glimpse of Babiya,
the vegetarian crocodile. Though, Babiya doesn’t often show up, but if you’re lucky, you may
chance upon the croc in the lake. Legend has it that an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, Shree
Vilvamangalathu Swami, was meditating on the banks of the lake when Lord Krishna, in the
form of a child, came and started disturbing him. Irritated the sage pushed the child back and
Lord Krishna disappeared into a nearby cave. Upon realizing his folly the sage went in the cave
looking for the lord and later the cave turned into a shrine and a crocodile appeared as a protector
of the shrine. Babia, as the crocodile has been named, stood guard over the entrance. In 1945 a
British soldier shot the crocodile dead and ended up dying himself of snakebite a few days later.
Soon after another crocodile appeared who was just like the last one, vegetarian and docile.
Devotees feed prasadam to the crocodile.

The Ananthapura lake temple and its deities- Dedicated to Ananthapadmanabha Swamy, the
Ananthapura lake temple lies in the center of the Ananthapura lake which is 2 acres long, and is
the only lake temple in the southern Indian state of Kerala. The walls of the temple are adorned
with an impressive collection of ancient painting and intricate wooden carvings, and the deities
of the temple were made of an unusual mix of over 70 medicinal substances, referred as ‘Kadu-
Sharkara- Yogam’. Though, many of them are now in the form of Panchaloha metal.

Legends and myths: – The obscure and myriad past of the temple sheds light on one solid fact
that the temple premises was the meditation ground of the great Tulu Brahmin sage, Diwakara
Muni Vilwamangalam. The legend goes on to say that the Lord Narayana himself came in front
of the sage in the form of a little child to test him. Upon being overwhelmed by the radiance
emanating from the boy the sage asked him about his whereabouts and upon learning that he was
orphaned the sage took pity and allowed him to stay but the boy had a very peculiar condition
which said that if the boy felt humiliated then he would leave at once. Soon after, the boy’s
pranks became intolerable to which the sage responded violently and the boy left with the
message that if the sage wishes to see him again then he must travel to Ananthankat, the abode of
the serpent god Anantha. Realizing his folly Vilwamangalam travelled to the forest and at long
last found the boy near a woody tree by the sea. Upon the sage’s approach the boy vanished into
the Mahua tree and came out as the Lord Vishnu astride on the many headed snake Anantha.
This legend marks the holiness of the temple

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Architectural genius

This temple exhibits excellent wood craftsmanship on the mandapam. The wood carvings depict
the scenes from Dasavaatharam and have an allusion to the Navagraha. On either side of the
Sreekovil Dwara, Jaya and Vijaya palakas are beautifully carved. The original idols of the temple
were not built with stone, metal or wood but of a combination of 70 medicinal plants. These
were replaced in the year 1972 by the idols of panchdhatu donated by Jayendra Saraswathy
Thirvatikal.

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Unique idols

View of the adjacent hillocks from the premises

One of the many perks of being situated in the heart of nature is the vibrant view of the
surrounding hillocks covered with dense forests which is a sight for the eye sore from all the
digital exposure.

Tapotsavam Festival

This festival is celebrated in the month of April with great pomp and grandeur. The deity is taken
out on a procession along the lake. Afterwards the traditional dance form from Karnataka,
Yakshaganam, is performed. This festival draws in devotes from all over the country every year.

Madhur Temple

Situated about 8 km from the Ananthapura temple, the Madhur Temple is the residence of the
Siddhi Vinayaka Ganesha and Lord Shiva. The foundation of this temple dates back to the
Drapar Yuga lending a mystical undertone to it. The Appam served here with prasadam is quite
tasty. Surrounded by trees and streams on all sides this temple performs Anna Dan on auspicious
occasions making it a must visit.