Located about 63 kms. away from the city Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple belongs to the royal family of the erstwhile Travancore princely state. The name also reflects the city's best-known temple and a famous landmark, dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Built on seven hills, and liberally covered with the green low-lying paddy fields and coconut palms, Trivandrum has not lost this holy glory, having accepted diverse cultures and religious traditions in its warm and hospitable embrace.
Mahavishnu is the presiding deity of the temple and it is situated at the heart of the city, a few meters west to the East Fort.
According to records it was built in stages to house an idol discovered in a forest by a devotee. The historical importance of the city and this temple can be gauged from the fact that in 1750 when it was the capital of the Venad chieftains of the erstwhile state of Travancore, its renowned ruler Maharajah Marthanda Varma dedicated the entire state to the deity of the temple. It was only as servants of the deity that the King and his successors held possessions as well as the right to rule.
