Ananthapura Lake Temple
Ananthapura, Kerala · Lord Vishnu · Vishnu Temple
Kerala’s only lake temple, in a sacred tank at the northern edge of the state.
Ananthapura Lake Temple in Kasaragod district is Kerala’s only lake temple, listed on Kerala Tourism and linked in tradition to Padmanabhaswamy at Thiruvananthapuram. The shrine sits on a small island in a calm tank, with a resident crocodile long part of local temple lore.
History
Kerala Tourism profiles Ananthapura as a distinctive Vishnu shrine in the northernmost district, where the tank and island setting define pilgrimage access.
Regional tradition holds that worship here connects to the Padmanabhaswamy lineage; the temple appears on the state tourism spirituality circuit for Kasaragod.
Stories
The child who led the sage into a cave
Tradition says the sage Divakara Vilwamangalam was meditating here when Lord Narayana appeared as a radiant child. The boy stayed to serve the sage, but warned that he would leave if ever humiliated. One day the sage lost patience with his pranks, and the boy vanished, telling him to look for him at Ananthankat.
The sage followed through a cave and reached a wooded place by the sea, where the child disappeared into a huge illippa tree. The tree fell and took the form of Vishnu reclining on the thousand-hooded serpent.
A temple in the middle of a lake
Ananthapura Lake Temple stands in the centre of a rectangular tank of about two acres, fed by springs throughout the year. It is described as the only temple of its kind in Kerala. A footbridge links the namaskara mandapam to the shore, and it is the only way to the sanctum.
The original idols were not made of stone or metal, but of a mix of more than 70 medicinal materials known as kadu-sharkara-yogam. They were replaced with panchaloha metal images in 1972.
Original seat of Padmanabhaswamy?
According to some traditions, this is the original seat, or moolasthanam, of Ananthapadmanabha, the deity of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Beside the lake is a cave, through which local legend says the deity travelled to Thiruvananthapuram.
The similar names of the two places are explained by this story. The temple is open to visitors of all castes and creeds.
Good to know
Island Vishnu shrine in a sacred tank — Kerala Tourism listed
Often combined with Bekal and northern Malabar coastal temples
Distinctive lake-temple setting in Kasaragod
Getting there
Nearest airport: Mangalore International Airport (IXE) / Kannur. Kumbala and Kasaragod town are the usual road/rail access points to Ananthapura.
Best time to visit: Oct – Mar