THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The divine commander-in-chief of the army of Sree Padmanabhaswamy, arguably the richest deity in the country, will get a new avatar on Sunday. A new idol of Visvaksenan will replace the over 280-year-old idol which showed signs of degeneration, believed to be caused by a water leak in the sanctum’s roof.
The new idol has also been sculpted using ‘kadusharkara yogam’, a concrete-like mixture prepared from nearly 48 materials, ranging from small conch shells to herbs and sand. It was crafted by Thirukoshtiyur Madhavan, a sculptor from Thirukoshtiyur in the Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu.
“The old idol of Visvaksenan was installed in the 1739-41 period when the temple underwent a major renovation following a fire. It was made by a Brahmin sculptor, Kesavan Vishnuthrathan,” said historian M G Sasibhooshan.
“The idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy and other idols in the same sanctum too are made of kadusharkara yogam. Idols made of this mixture should not be exposed to water. Hence, the customary abhishekams are made on representative idols made for the purpose,” he told TNIE.
He said the flowers used for ‘archana’ on these idols are picked the previous evening to keep them dry.
New idol modelled on the old one
A devaprasnam (ritual to know the god’s wish) conducted in 2011 had called for regaining the deity’s glory.
Temple thantri Satheesan Namboodiripad said Visvaksenan is a revered deity who has the first right to the articles offered to Sree Padmanabhaswamy. “The old idol was immersed in water and its wooden base was submitted to fire a few years ago. The daily poojas are performed on a representative idol at present,” he said.
The new idol has been modelled on the old one and is placed at the exact location as the previous one. It will be dedicated at the ‘mizhi thurakkal’ ceremony, when the chief priest will open the eyes of the idol by removing the flowers pasted on its eyes.
Special rituals, including mahakumbhabhishekam, will be held on Sunday -- all scheduled between 7.40am to 8.40am. The thazhikakudam installation, and ashtabandham at the shrine of Lord Sree Krishna are among the rituals. The temple has announced revised darshan timings from June 2 to 8.