Padmanabha
Padmanabha ( Sanskrit : पद्मनाभ Padmanābha [ ˈpʌdmʌnɑːbʱʌ ] "he with the lotus button ") is a manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu .
In his form as Padmanabha, Vishnu is shown lying on the serpent Shesha (Ananta). A lotus flower sprouts from his navel , on which the god Brahma sits. The representation is based on the Hindu creation myth , according to which the universe emerged when a lotus grew out of the navel of Vishnu, who was resting on the serpent Shesha in the primordial sea.
Padmanabha is of particular importance as the family deity of the royal family of Travancore in what is now the state of Kerala in south-west India. The Maharajas of Travancore referred to themselves as "servants of Padmanabha" ( Padmanabhadasa ) and ruled nominally as representatives of God. Their royal seat from 1550 to 1750 was called Padmanabhapuram ("City of Padmanabhas"), and after they moved their capital to Thiruvananthapuram , they built the great Padmanabhaswamy Temple there at the end of the 18th century .
