Worship of Damaged 18-foot Mūrti with No Concrete Restoration Plans

The devotees of the Śrī Padmanabhasvami temple are now in an endless wait to pray to a fully restored mūlavigraha crafted through Kadusārkarāyogam. On May 9, 2017, the apex court ordered the administrative committee of Śrī Padmanabhasvami temple, Thiruvananthapuram, to constitute a committee to identify and fix the damages of the mūlavigraha. It again reiterated the order and its urgency on July 4, 2017. A committee was constituted with experts comprising Śrī Vezhaparambu Nampoothiripad, Śrī. Satheesh Ezhumtholi and Śrī. Cheruvalli, other experts in this area, and the tantrī of the temple. After the inspection in August/September 2017, a twelve-page report of the damages was submitted in October 2017. It was determined that the committee will undertake the completion of the restoration before the preparation for Lakshadeepam in mid-November 2019.

Over the last eight years, devotees have demanded that the restoration work be handed over to experts and completed as per the śāstras. They say a task well begun is half done. Let us examine what is stalling the restoration: how intense is the damage, how long the restoration will take, and is it acceptable to worship a vigraha damaged thus.

Damages to the mūlavigraha

The assessment was conducted by the ‘Sthapathyapeedom’ expert committee (2017), and Śrī Vezhaparambu Brahmadattan Namboothiripad, who produced a detailed report of the inspection findings before the administrative committee. In his report, he also noted that damages were caused due to preservation deficiencies, as bimbam made using Kadusārkarāyogam are meant to last forever (ākalpamanthām) and, when preserved scientifically, will have a constant flow of Caitanyam (energy/aura), showering blessings on devotees for generations. It is not meant to degrade easily.

The specialty of the temple is that the reclining Mahā Viṣṇu is slightly tilted to the right with a posture resembling a human. HE reclines on Ādiśēṣa in the center with all upadevathas surrounding HIM, resembling Brahmāṇḍa (milk ocean) - Śrīdevi, Bhūdevi, Garuḍā, Shanku, Cakra, Nāradha, Tumburu, Padmam, Gadhā, Bhṛgu Mahaṛṣi, Divākara Muni, Sūrya, candra, and Saptaṛṣi. The lepyabimba vigraha is safely installed (prāṇa pratista) inside a garbhagṛha. The entire vigraha is built in a complex Kadusārkarā Yogam technique with 12008 śālagrāmas. The 12008 śālagrāmas are carefully placed in the base inside the Ādiśēṣa. Although it is painful to list the damages, since the restoration has been pending for almost a decade, here are a few damages from the initial report.

Presiding Deity - On the vigraha, the toes of the right and left feet, the lower side of the legs, the waist, and the seams of dresses are damaged and discolored. The stalk of the lotus on which Brahma sits can be easily pulled off, and the kalkam on the face of Brahma and the hand on the left side is broken. The yajñopavīta is damaged in several spots. Kalkam is lost around makarakuṇḍalam. Several portions of the left hand, fingers, are wobbly (easily detachable) and damaged with discoloration, exposing the interiors. The beauty of this hand is missing since the features are all damaged. The right wrist, elbow, and hand joints also suffer damage. Keyūra and other ornaments are also damaged. The Kalkam on the face is damaged between the brows and on the cheeks. Several portions of the interior are exposed, and white patches are seen.

Ādiśēṣa – There is a depression (like a hole) of approximately 1 chaan, which is equivalent to 46.6 cm; in several places, kalkam has separated, including the spirals and the hoods. This means one can put their hand into the hole. The kavacam was not removed for the inspection.

On the mūrties on the wall – nārada, Garuḍā, Tumburu, devI waving the cāmara aka fan, cakra, Śaṅkha, Padma, and gadā mūrti all have kalkams separated and damaged. The aṅgāpoorthy has not been achieved, aka it looks incomplete.

Bhūdevi mūrti suffers significant serious damage with kalkams separated in all parts: toes are missing, and the first toe is on the other; kumbha is missing on the right hand, and there is a hole near the left back of her thighs. A complete assessment was not done.

Śrīdevi mūrti has structural differences like: legs of different lengths; broken padmam on her left hand; severely damaged lower waist, and torn kalkam in several parts.

Similar damages were found on Bhṛgu mahaṛṣi, Divākara Muni, Sūrya, Saptha ṛṣi, and the Moon.

This report was signed by 5 Brāhmaṇas, including the temple tantrī, in 2017.

The Kalkam is the last stage of the Kadusārkarāyogam, during which white patches are seen, features are missing, and the Mṛth lepanam is damaged and exposed. The Mṛth and Kalkam are the most labor-intensive and complex portions of the vigraha that lend shape and structure to the final mūrti. Interestingly, the assessment done on the vigrahas in October 2025 has only increased the damage further.

Effects of Worshipping a Damaged Vigraha

A khaṇḍita mūrti, according to Vāstu śāstra, must not be worshipped. It invites stagnation, disharmony, and negativity. It affects devotees and communities associated with the vigraha. According to śāstras, khaṇḍita mūrtimust be disposed in a river or a well, after doing puja. In the 1720s, when the original Illupa wood mūrti of Śrī Padmanābhasvāmi was damaged by a devastating fire, worship was prohibited until it was reconsecrated with 12008 śālagrāma from Nepal. Its form was rebuilt using Kadusārkarām. The cosmic energy of a damaged bimba begins to recede unless reconsecrated.

In the 2011 devapraśna (an art and science of invoking the deity using tantrīc rituals to get answers to problems affecting the temple), it was revealed that Śrī Padmanābha was infuriated, listing the lack of rigor in rituals, insufficient quantity of naivedyams, and the lack of sanctity in the nambis and tantrī when they entered the sanctum, and ordered the reinstatement of pujas that were neglected and stopped. It was also realised that the divine force of energy (saṃnidhāna) that exists when one stands with folded hands in front of the sanctum had weakened.

The wrath is real. The temple is surrounded by at least 2,000 Brāhmaṇa families from Tulu Nadu, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. The temple was once a bustling hub of cultural activities, religious learning, fostering growth, and depth. The families of the nambis have also had unforeseen setbacks. A community that would come together in large numbers for festivals with children and adolescents is now deserted. The community was once vibrant with happy, married men, new brides making the community their own, a future being built, and children playing and praying in the temple. There are no longer those young children from the nearby agrahārams in this community and temple in the evenings and on festivals. There are no young brides here either. In about 20 years, the average age in the agrahāram is likely to be 50. In fact, many locals don’t even go inside for darśana.

I am not attributing everything to the kaṇḍita mūrti, but what could have caused this large-scale decline in population and stagnation in “vṛddhi” in the same devotee population in a matter of 30 years? The biggest threat to a civilization is the decline in its population, especially the guardians of the tradition.

Attempts to restore the Mūrti since 2017

It is the primary duty of the tantrī to take care of the deity just as a mother takes care of her newborn. This neglect has affected the prāṇa and caitanya of Bhagavān, and it was evident how infuriated he was in the devapraśna. The temple has also experienced several aśubha incidents inside the temple since 2011.

Typically, a temple undergoes mahākumbhābhiṣeka every 12 years: a typical period for preservation of the structure, vigrahas, garbhagṛha, and other mandapams of the temple. This temple has remained unrestored for over than 250 years since it was initially built. In June 2025, when the temple held its Kumbhābishekam, one would have expectedt he damaged mūlavigraha to have been restored, but it was not. Only the mūrti of Śrī viṣvaksena was restored, and the Thazhikudam (the kalaśam atop of a gopuram) was refilled after approximately 250 years.

In 2017, an inspection was done by a team led by Brahmasree Vezhapparambu Brahmadathan Namboothiripad (BVBN). In November – December 2017, after eight months of the court order, the committee began discussions upon receiving several written complaints from local devotees. The committee decided to request BVBN to lead and suggest a śilpī for the same. The track record of the temple tantrī and trustees was such that BVBN laid eight conditions and required a written letter from the SC to initiate the restoration works. At this point, the Supreme Court had appointed the Former Solicitor General Adv. Gopal Subramanium as the Amicus Curiae. He intervened to say that the SC order was plenty enough to proceed.

Brahmadathan Namboodiripad was an authority in this field, but it took several meetings, both in-person and off-site, between December 2017 and June 2018 to convince BVBN to undertake this work. He then suggested the appointment of Brahmanagalam Kailasam as the śilpī to undertake the repairs. The śilpī is the actual person who executes the tasks, and the Namboothiri directs the śilpī. The duo is known for their synergy, ethics, and partnership. It had now taken 16 months to reach a point wherea Śilpī was identified and appointed.

Śilpī Kailasam had learnt the vigraha-making from his father, Brahmanagalam Subramaniam. He was involved in Thirvattaru Kadusārkarā work, and it would take an additional year to do the work here, as he had committed to Madaikavu for the next four years. So he turned this offer down for the next five years until 2022. He felt overcommitting would dilute the focus and workmanship in both temples.

The entire initiative was dropped in Jul 2018. The temple completely brushed away the initiative since. The 2020 Hon’ble Supreme Court Verdict on the Śrī Padmanabha Swamy Temple case placed the Trustee at the helm of the Administration, with the Tharananalloor tantrī as the only authority over all the temple rituals and religious decisions.

Devotees Demand

The devotees of Thiruvananthapuram were hoping that the tantrī would resume the discussion of restoration after the five years requested by śilpī Kailasam. Post-COVID, the temple raised funds by selling Rs 500 tickets for darśana, which reduced the local devotee participation significantly as they could not afford the amount for everyday darśana. The temple’s footfall has since been predominantly tourists, and the neighborhoods were converted to cater to tourism at large. Dutiful devotees were constantly raising the issue of restoration with the tantrī, the administrative and advisory committee.

In 2025, when local devotees' complaints and suggestions were not given a fair hearing, they approached Adv. TK Ananda Padmanabhan to move to the Kerala High Court demanding restoration of the mūlavigraha. Based on this, on November 19, 2025, the Kerala High Court ordered the tantrī to complete the restoration of the mūlavigraha following another round of inspection. The Court, having taken cognizance of the past, required the śilpī’s consent, specified thequantities of materials, and established the timeline for the restoration beforehand.

The selected śilpīs AR Durai Krishna Swamy and Thirukostiyur Madhavan have both quoted 850 Kg and 640 Kg of raw materials, respectively. Both use empirical methods toestimate the values. They believe that a balalayam (where the mūlavigraha is closed for darśana and restoration occurs, the uthsavamūrti is housed in a separate sanctum, and puja is continued there) is not necessary for the restoration. They would use a time window between 11 am and 4 pm every day to complete the restoration. The timeline is set to 3 years. The costs quoted are Rs. 45L and Rs. 37L respectively. Kailasam, in his letter to the committee, has mentioned that the damages are extensive and a very experienced and skilled team will have to be recruited to complete the work. He did not provide any details of the estimates. It is clear from the letters and affidavits produced in court by the śilpīs that they have been asked to perform the restoration between 11 am and 4 pm without disturbing darśana because the temple now serves as a tourist attraction with revenue interests.

Now and Beyond

While all are aware of the negative and declining energy of the mūlavigraha, the proposal presented by the tantrīat the Kerala High Court on December 18, 2025, allows concurrent worship of khaṇḍita mūrti while restoration is in progress. In my opinion, this will dilute the quality of work in progress and the sanctity of rituals. A similar temple, Thiruvattaru, located 50 km from this temple, underwent Kadusārkarāyogam restoration a few years back. The 22-foot mūrti of Ādi Keśava Perumal houses 16108 śālagrāma. The presiding mūrti went to the balalayam.

In a temple free from state control, the tantrī holds full authority on religious matters and is expected to prioritize Caitanyam—the cosmic nature, energy, and aura of Bhagavān—above all else. To enable dhārmika self-governance, the Bhagavān must be the epicenter of religion and temple, and the center of Indic Renaissance. We would not have to go to the court for everything if devotee sentiments, religious nature, and sanctity are promptly attended to. Preservation is a collective responsibility. When those in power fail to discharge those duties, there must be enough social provisions to replace them with dhārmika alternatives. Absolute power with no accountability is a disaster. The tantrī is not appointed by his skill or vaidika prowess, but instead because he is from the Tharananellor madam. If faced with such issues, we may need to replace the tantrī with one of the 25 Namboothiri madams who are skilled and deservingto continue the temple rituals. It is also possible that the tantrī is qualified, but does not receive enough authority from the Trustees to discharge the duties. The temple is the center of Indic cultural preservation, and nurturing it is non-negotiable. In situations where devotees feel that their honest and dhārmika requests are not being fulfilled by the authority, invariably, their overdependence on the court can easily harm the independence of management and force the court to place the temple under secular government.

The balance is delicate - between independent administration and ensuring the temple is managed as a religious and spiritual place, without external or internal pressure and lack of niṣṭhā. We have an obligation to preserve, hand over, and transfer the temple and everything in it that belongs to Bhagavān to our future generations without distortion. It would be a blessing to get blessed by a fully consecrated Śrī Padmanābhasvāmi in our lifetime.

References

Letter from Amicus Curiae to EO dated Jun 8, 2018

Moolavigraha Inspection Report Submitted to Hon’ble SC of India - Oct 2017 (Translated version of Inspection Report by Udayabanu Kandeth, Finance Officer)

Latest tantrī Report - 12.10.2025

Interim Order WP(C) NO. 19711 OF 2025 - 19.11.2025

tantrī report dated 11.11.2025

All Affidavits and documents presented in WP(C) NO. 19711 OF 2025 and 7034 of 2025