Right at the heart of Trivandrum stands the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Run by a trust, headed by the erstwhile royal family of Travancore, this temple is one of the 108 holy abodes of Lord Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple has lent its name to the city - ‘Thiru’ ‘Anantha’ ‘Puram’, meaning Sacred Abode of Lord Anantha Padmanabha. The main attraction here is the deity of Padmanabhaswamy, enshrined as a reclining structure on a serpent, called the Anantha.

The main deity of Lord Vishnu is flanked by the consorts Sridevi (Goddess of prosperity) & Bhudevi (Goddess of Earth) by his side. Made of 12,000 Saligramams, taken from the sacred waters of the Gandaki River in Nepal, the idol is covered with a unique ayurvedic mixture which hardens to form a plaster-like consistency, the "Katusarkara yogam" for keeping the deity clean. In the recent times, the temple has risen to fame for holding the assets of Lord Padmanabhaswamy, which are valued at an incredible sum of 90,000 crores.

The treasure has been locked away in the six secret cellars within the temple premises. The glittering treasure trove revealed breathtakingly precious diamonds, gold, emeralds, antique silver, brass & gold idols.

Two golden coconut shells made out of pure gold & studded with precious stones, like emeralds & rubies, have further piqued the wonder of this treasure. Of the 6 cellars, Cellar B remains under lock & key due to the religious belief which states that anyone who opens this particular vault will have to watch a family member die, due to a snake bite or consumption of poison. Another attraction is 56 day long Murajapam, which is performed once every 6 years.