Ananthapura Lake Temple

Have you seen a temple set in the middle of a water body? Well, if you haven’t then head to Ananthapura Lake Temple in Kasaragod. Dating back to the 9th century, this is the only lake temple in Kerala and is said to be the original home of Ananthapadmanabha (an avatar of Lord Vishnu), the deity of Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Incidentally, this is the only temple where the statue of Lord Vishnu is seen seated on the serpent god Adishesha. Besides, wood carvings on the ceiling show different incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple can be reached by a bridge across the lake, formed by pure spring water. An interesting feature of this temple is the guardian crocodile Babia. Said to have been around for a long time, Babia does not harm devotees who bathe in the tank and eats only the offering made by devotees that is typically made of rice and molasses. On enquiry, I was told that Babia is a vegetarian and has never harmed even a fish here! The crocodile is said to guard both the entrance and the shrine. In fact, legend has it that there will only be one crocodile in the lake at a time. This means that if the crocodile dies, another one appears in the lake, which makes this temple highly revered by devotees! The best part is that this temple is open to all, irrespective of caste or creed.