Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple Festivals

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple celebrates several small and big festivals every year. Some of the noted festivals delectated at Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple include:

Annual Festivals

Some festivals are celebrated bi-annually. The Alpashy festival which falls on October/November and the Painkuni festival in March/April are held for 10 days each. These festivals conclude with the Aarattu (holy bath) at the Shankumugham Beach. Padmanbaswamy Temple is renowned for the Aarattu, which is headed by the royal family of Travancore. The word Aarattu means the ritual bathe of the deities in sea. During Aarattu, the idols of Sri Padmanabhaswamy, Krishna and Narasimha are immersed after some rituals. The idols are then brought back to the temple as a procession with beautifully decorated elephants, which is worth seeing.

Laksha Deepam Festival (Lighting of One Lakh Lamps)

Laksha Deepam festival is another major unique festival celebrated at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Laksha Deepam or Lakshadeepam literally means hundred thousand lambs (or one lakh lamps). Laksha Deepam festival is held once in 6 years and on the festival day, hundred thousand oil lamps are lit in and around the Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple premises. Prior to the Lakshadeepam festival day recitation of three Vedas and chanting of prayers are done for 56 days.

The last festival was celebrated on 2008 and the upcoming Laksha Deepam festival is on January 2014. Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the only temple in known history to conduct the Laksha Deepam festival without any break since the festival was first conducted in January 1750 AD.

Navratri Festival

Held during September/October, this festival involves processional bringing of the idols of Saraswathi, Durga, and Murukan to the Kuthira Malika palace which is situated in front of Padmanabha temple. It is celebrated for nine days and the Swathi music festival is held during this festival.

Murjapam

Held once in six years, Murjapam means continuous recitation of prayers. This is performed when 12 Bhadradeepam joins.

Here are the other major festivals celebrated at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
1) Kalabham – 8th to 14th January – Makaraseeveli at 08:30 PM Perunthiramruthu Pooja
2) Painguni Uthsavam – March – April – 10th day Arattu
3) Vishu – 14th April – Vishu Kani Darshan at 05:00 am
4) Kalabham – 11th to 16th July - Karkkidaka Seeveli Perunthiramruthu Pooja
5) Niraputhari – July to August
6) Thiruonam – Onavillucharth (Onavillu) August – September
7) Vinayaka Chaturthi – held at Agrasala – August – September
8) Sree Krishna Jayanti – Ashtami Rohini – August – September
9) Valiya Ganapathi Homam – 12 days annually – September – October
10) Navaratri - September – October
11) Aippashi Uthsavam – October – November – 10 days Arattu
12) Swargavathil Ekadasi – December