KOCHI: For centuries, the imposing seven-storeyed gopuram of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple has been one of the defining images of the capital. From next week, that iconic silhouette will find a place on thousands of letters travelling across the country and beyond as India Post releases a Permanent Pictorial Cancellation (PPC) and a special cover dedicated to the temple.
The release, scheduled at the Fort Post Office on August 10 by the governor, will permanently add one of the state’s most celebrated landmarks to the philatelic heritage. The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the fourth temple in the state to receive a PPC after Sabarimala, Guruvayur and the Madhur Temple in Kasaragod. It is also the state’s 43rd PPC, joining a select list of monuments, institutions and destinations considered to have lasting historical, cultural and tourism significance.
Unlike commemorative stamps that remain in circulation for a limited period, a PPC continues to be used indefinitely at a designated post office. Letters or parcels posted from the Fort Post office and bearing the cancellation will carry an impression of the temple from next Monday.
The proposal for the commemoration came from the temple authorities, according to postal department sources. Recognising the temple’s international prominence and its importance to the state’s cultural identity, India Post decided to honour the shrine through both a pictorial cancellation and a specially designed premium cover.
The cancellation will depict the temple’s iconic eastern gopuram along with the reclining idol of deity Padmanabha in the Ananthasayana posture. The accompanying premium special cover, expected to be priced between `100 and `200, will feature a gold-foil embossed image of the deity placed before the temple facade. Around 2,000 covers will be released initially, with more to be printed depending on demand.
The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is regarded as one of the finest examples of the Dravidian style of architecture that attract both locals and tourists from around the world.
“The temple’s towering gopuram, granite corridors lined with hundreds of intricately carved pillars, murals and traditional wooden architecture have made it one of the most photographed monuments in the state.
The principal deity, Lord Padmanabha, reclines on the serpent Anantha, and devotees view the 18-foot idol through three separate doors, which is a feature found nowhere else. This is worth being a keepsake PPC,” said a source from the postal department who wished to be anonymous.
The shrine also caught global attention following the discovery of its underground vaults in 2011, which contained an extraordinary collection of gold ornaments, precious stones, coins, ceremonial objects and artefacts accumulated over centuries.
For philatelists, the August 10 release adds another sought-after collectible to India’s postal history.
“The discovery of vaults reinforced its reputation as one of the world’s wealthiest temples and renewed international interest in its history, traditions and conservation.
This move is an effort to ensure that the image of the temple continues to travel well beyond the walls of the historic Fort, carried on letters, postcards and special covers for generations to come,” said a philatelist.
Release on Aug 10
The release, scheduled at the Fort Post Office on August 10 by the governor, will permanently add one of the state’s most celebrated landmarks to the philatelic heritage
The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the fourth temple in the state to receive a PPC after Sabarimala, Guruvayur and the Madhur Temple in Kasaragod
It is also the state’s 43rd PPC, joining a select list of monuments, institutions and destinations considered to have lasting historical, cultural and tourism significance
