About the TempleAnanthapura Lake Temple is one of the places of worship on a remote rocky hill in a peaceful region located at a distance of 18 Km from Kasargod town. Ananthapura Lake Temple was built in 9th century and it is the only lake temple in Kerala. It is the original abode of Ananthapadmanabha, the deity of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The primary deity, Lord Ananthapadmanabha is seated on the serpent god Adisesha. The sub deities such as Goshalee Krishna, Mahisha Mardhini, ullakulu Mahaganpathy can also be seen.

The sanctum sanctorum of temple is reachable only by a bridge. Ananthapura Lake Temple is guarded by 70 years old divine crocodile. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The sanctum sanctorum is enclosed by a rectangular lake which is spread over 2 acres.

Another main attraction of the temple is that the original idols in the Garbhagriha is made of a unique mixture of more than 70 medicinal materials called 'Kadu-Sharkara-Yogam.' The Ananthapura Lake Temple is surrounded by an enclosed verandah. The paintings are displayed on the temple walls and there is a cave within that opens out to a small tank where the water level remains constant regardless of any climate changes.

LegendAccording to a legend, once, Vilvamangalathu, a devotee of Vishnu was doing penance for his deeds. Lord appeared before him in the disguise of a boy and started disturbing him. Enraged by child’s behavior, the devotee pushed him back. The mysterious child disappeared in a cave and the saint realized his mistake. The cave into which Lord Vishnu had gone is still present and is protected by the crocodile since then. The name of the crocodile is Babia. It is believed that Babia is the local guard and messenger of the temple and is living in the pond for more than 60 years.

After the worship of Lord Ananthapadmanabha, the feed given by devotees to Babia. The food is made of rice and jaggery and is fed by putting to its mouth. This divine crocodile is vegetarian and does not harm anyone. There is a miracle in this temple. Only one crocodile lives in the lake at a time. When one crocodile dies, another one appears in the lake. The temple is open to all visitors irrespective of caste, creed, and color. Male devotees need to wear white dhoti/Payjama only (shirt is not allowed), Females can wear saari or other traditional dresses based on ages.

Festivals

Festivals such as Navaanna, Vaarshikothsava Krishnashtami, Ramayana Masacharane concluding ceremony are celebrated on grand scale.

bhajan program is organized On every full-moon.

How to reach

By Road: The temple is located about 25 km from Bekal. Buses are available from Kasaragod and Kumbala. Kasargod is well connected by road network.

By Train: The Nearest railway station is Kasaragod Railway station, which is about 15 km.

By Air: Mangalore Airport is about 56 km. Calicut International Airport is located at 222 km.