The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram is a famous holy abode of Lord Vishnu.

Among the rituals and festivals held here, the ‘lakshadeepam’ is the most notable. In Malayalam ‘lakshadeepam’ means ‘one lakh lamps’. As the name suggests this is a festival of lamps and is held only once in six years.

On this day, the entire temple is lit with oil lamps and in its glittering background Lord Vishnu, Lord Narasimha and Lord Krishna are taken out on Garudavahana (eagle shaped chariot) in a grand procession.

The festival is preceded by Murajapam, a 56-day long event of chanting of Vedas, concluding on Makara Sankranthi day, according to the Malayalam calendar