Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple stands at a place, which is considered as one of the seven Parasurama Kshetras, and ancient texts including Puranas, particularly, the Skanda Puranas and Padma Puranas, have extolled the sanctity of this place and the shrine. The tradition states that in this place Lord Vishnu had given darshan to Indian sages like Divakarmuni and Bilvamangalam Swami. An Ezhava couple had also seen the lord in the form of a child and the child had taken morsels of rice from the hands of the couple. In memory of this legend, naivedyam prepared of rice is offered to the deity here in a coconut shell.
But Akilattirattu Ammanai, the scripture of Ayyavazhi provides a different genesis for this temple. (See:Thirumal in Thiruvananthapuram).
The temple has been held in high respect for centuries and King Marthanda Varma, maharaja of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore, did last major renovation. He dedicated his kingdom to the deity and pledged that he and his descendants would serve the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa, meaning servants of the Lord Padmanabha.
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