bharat desh mandiron ki prakhyat dharti hai jahan uÿar se lekar dakshin tak aur purab se lekar pashchim tak mandiron ka samriddh samrajya kayam hai. inhin men sudur keral rajya ki rajdhani triruanantapuram men virajman paùnabh svami mandir ka apna vishisht mahatva hai jo dakshin bhartiya vaishnav mandiron men panktey hai. arab sagar ke tat par basa prachinkal ka tiruvindam, angrejon ke jamane ka trivendram hi aj ka tiruanantapuram hai. nagar ka namakaran us nagar ke madhya bhag men avasthit shri paùnabh svami mandir par hi para hai. tiruanantapuram nagar ka samanya ashay ‘anant ka shahr’ arthat sarparaj anant ki shaiya par shayan karte shri vishnu ka sthan. vishvas kiya jata hai ki prachin travnkor arthat tiruvankur kshetra men is mandir ki sthapna travnkor ke raja ne karvai. bad men 18vin shatabdi men raja martand varma ne keral prant ki sima rekha vistrit karne ke uprant isi nagar men apni rajdhani ki sthapna karte unhonne is nagar ke adhishthatra dev paùnabh ke pratinidhi ke rup men karya karte rahe aur san 1633 i. men is mandir ke punarnirman hone par navsanskar pradan kiya. keral ke dakshin pradesh ka sabse bara v mahatvapurn mandir paùnabh svami mandir hai jise ‘anantashayanam mandir’ bhi kaha gaya hai.
pashan nirmit kendriya mandir kaksh uchit rupen dirghaytakar hai jismen shri anantshayi devta ki 22 fit leti pratima sheshnag par virajit hai. mandir men lage suchna patrika se gyat hota hai ki 12008 shaligram khand se nirmit yah nepal ki gandki nadi se sanprapt hai. shaligram se nirmit hone ke karan is par abhishek adi nahin charhaya jata hai. shri vishnu ke ek taraf lakshmi v dahine taraf bhu-devi ka sthan hai. nabhi ke kamal par brahma ji aur prabhu ka dahina hath shivling par virajman hai. karib nau ekar kshetra men vistrit aur kaikekotta kshetra men prachin rajamahal v padm sarovar ke samipasth sthapit is mandir men pravesh karte hi bite hue yug ki yad taja ho jati hai. pravesh dvar ki akarshak gopuram par ki gai anupam kalakari darshakon ko nimantran dete pratit hoti hai. pradhan mandir pravesh ke purva pravesh dvar par ek taraf hanuman v dusri taraf garur ji ka sthan hai. yahan dakshin disha ke mandap ko kulshekhar mandap kaha jata hai. mandir ke purva bhag men svarn mandir garur stanbh hai. iske bad vishal mandap ko par karke kale kasauti patthar se nirmit shri kopil (garbhagrih) ka darshan kiya jata hai. yahin par nirmit pashan mandap ko ‘utkal mandapa’ kahte hain.
garbhagrih se lage tin dvar se mandir men dev shri vishnu alg-alag drishtavya hote hain. pratham dvar se prabhu shaman mudra men hath niche latkae shivling par rakhe hain to dusre var se nabhi - kshetra ka punya darshan aur tisre pradhan dvar se shri vishnu charan ka spasht darshan hota hai. mandir ke galiyaron men lage pashan stanbh v pashan pattika par dharmik akhyanon ka sundar chitran hua hai. yah mandir multah nau manjila banana tha par sat manjil ban paya jismen do manjil to spasht darshit hai. iski manjilon par dhalvan aur trianki prakar ki akarshak chaten hain. mandir ke pradhan tirthon men shri mahagnpti kshetra, padmatirth, mantrenmni, kunirmlika, navratri mandap, abhekshashram adi pramukh hai. yahan patthar ki hathi ka sundar chitran dekhne yogya hai. is mandir ke nirman men nepali shilp kala ka keral shilp kala ke sath nutan prayog hua hai jiska dravir shilp jagat men amulya sthan hai. mandir ke dakshin dvar ke pas ek shishu murti hai yahin utsav vigrah ke sath dev shri paùnabh ki trishakti shri devi, bhu-devi aur nila devi ka sthan hai. mandir darshan ka sabse alag dastan yah hai ki yahan ke mandir pravesh ke lie purushon ko adyovastra ke rup men keval dhoti ya lungi v mahilaon ke lie sari v lahanga hi manya hai.
mandir men pravesh ‘purva nadu’ arthat purvi dvar se kiya jata hai jahan subah 3ah30-4ah45, 6ah30-7, 8ah30-10ah00, 10ah30-11ah10 v 11ah45 se 12ah00 baje tak fir sham men 4ah00 se 6ah30 tak darshan karne ka vidhan am bhakton ko hai. shesh samay men dev snan, dev shringar, dev bhog, dev aradhna, dev gan v devashayan ka hua karta hai. shri paùnabh svami ke mandir ki antrik v bahya divaren chitrankit hain aur shrikrishn, agrashala ganesh, nrisinh, kshetrapal, garur, shashth adi devtaon ke svatantra devalay bhi yahan virajit hain. ismen bhojan kaksh ke pas hi ‘agrashala ganesh’ ka sthan hai. mandir men chote-bare pashan khand ke sath kashth samagri ka prayog bharpur hua hai. mandir ke thik bahar niklne ke purva garbhagrih se ate vakt shriram, lakshman, janki ka darshan kiya jata hai. bahar men ek chota mandap hai jise ‘pad mandapam’ kaha jata hai. parisar ke chaturdik khula stanbh yukt mandap aur kiliksan nasika yukt gopuram par paranprik kerliya prabhav hai. dakshin men ek mandap men tula laga hua hai. mandir ke ek pujari shartchandra kumar batate hain yahan log apne vajan ke anurup kuch n kuch dan avashya karte hain aur yah paranpra mandir sthapan se kayam hai.
mandir darshan ke bad mandir ke taraf se hi bane stael men prasad ka dibba (khir) liya ja sakta hai. yahin par age kitaben, tasviren v pujan samagri ka stael hai. mukhya marg par hi dhoti stael men harek ke umra ke anusar paridhan maujud hanai. pure mandir parisar men bhagvan ke nam ki puja, path v bhajan kirtan karne valon ka tanta laga rahta hai. yahan ke vishesh anushthan ka atishay mahatva bataya jata hai. shrivishnu sahasranam men 346ven kram men ‘shri paùnabh’ ka nam milta hai jo unki vishishtata ka jivant praman hai. yahan ‘darshanam’ v ‘vishesh puja’ hetu kuch rashi pradan kiya jata hai. is mandir ki katha v mahatmya ka varnan mahabharat v brahmand puran sahit anya dharm akhyanon men bhi hai. vivaran hai ki prachyakal men divakar namak ek vishnu bhakt ne prabhu darshan ke lie gahan tapasya ki. bhagvan vishnu uski tapasya se prasann hokar shishu rup men vahan padhare aur kuch dinon tak nivas karne ke pashchat kuch karan se ve yah kahakar antadhryan ho gaye ki ab hamen ‘anantashayam’ men darshan karne ana. unhen khojte-khojte jab divakar trivendram kshetra aye to unhen samudra se tanik duri par shasta mandir v shrikrishn devalay mila. vahin pas ke kanak vriksh ke kottar men ek shishu dikha.
jaise hi divakar muni vahan pahunche ki vriksh gir gaya aur unhen chah kos virat murti dikhi. shri paùnabh svami ka devalay aj usi vigrah rup ke nabhi kshetra par virajman hai jiske uÿar sir v dakshin charan ki sthiti hai. trivendram sentral relve steshan ke bahar lage shilapattika se suchna milti hai ki tin samudra ka sangam jo duniya men advitiya v anupam hai, uska varnan gandhi ji ne san 1936 janvri mahine men vahan baithe-baithe kiya tha. harijnon ke mandir pravesh ke bad gandhi ji ne shri anant paùnabh svami mandir ka darshan kiya. mandir pravesh ke avasar par bhashan dete hue gandhi ji ne kaha ki ishvar ki najar men unch-nich ka bhed nahin. sab log ek saman hain. aise 1892 men svami vivekanand bhi yahin ke darshan ke bad kanyakumari prasthan kar aitihasik karm ki or akrisht hue the. trivendram men shri paùnabh mandir ke alava shri parshuram mandir, ahakal bhagvti mandir, ganesh mandir, kanteshvar mahadev, shrimurugan svami, shrinivas mandir, bhadrakali mandir, subrahmanyam svami mandir, shasta (harihar putra) mandir, mahadev mandir adi ka bhi sthan darshan yogya hai. shripùnabh svami mandir ka do varshik utsav ativ mahatva ka hai.
ismen pahla ‘kotipattu’ (aktubar, navanbar mah men) shravan nakshatra ke din dhvaja aroharan se praranbh hokar dasven din pradhan dev shri paùnabh ke julus ke sath sanpann hota hai to dusra utsav ‘arattu’ (marcha-aprail mah men) rohini nakshatra men hota hai. mandir ki vyavastha sanchalan ye lage keral pulis bhi mandir ke paridhan men raha karte hain arthat dhoti aur upar pura khula badan. yahi hai yahan ki anuthi v vialag dastan. mandir ke bahar paù sarovar men mandir ki bani chaya ka niharan aisa pratit hota hai jaise svargalok se yah mandir dharti par utar aya ho. pas men donon taraf rajamahal ki bhavnen iski shobha ko dvigunit karti hain. astu! sudur dakshin men antim bhartiya rajdhani trivendram ki yatra svayan men bahut hi avismaraniya hai. yahan bhakti ke sath paryatan ka bhi bharpur anand liya ja sakta hai. dharmik drishtikon se yahan ka sarvavishisht kendra shri anant paùnabh svami mandir hi hai jiske pratham darshan se tan-man dharmamay hokar dev shri vishnu ke shri charnon men svatah natamastak ho jata hai.