The Sri Padmanabha Temple in Thiruvananthapuram holds significant spiritual and cultural importance for its devotees. It is also one of the 108 Divya desams for Hindus. The temple is administered by the Administrative committee lead by trustees (Travancore Descendants), nominees, Tantri, one representative nominated by the State and Central Govt along with the Trustees. The Advisory committee has a chairman appointed by the Kerala HC - a retired judge, a Trustee and a financial officer nominated by the Trustee. The Tantri is held as the head of all religious rituals in the temple. 

In 2017 the Hon'ble Supreme Court had ordered the committee to conduct a detailed examination of the Mulavigraham. In the report, very severe damages to SriPadmanabhaswamy, SriDevi, BhuDevi, all upadevi-devathas were reported. The report was signed by a team of five Tantris of the temple. The court ordered restoration. It was not done. 

In 2025, devotees moved the Kerala High Court (WP(C) 19711 of 2025 and WP (C) 7039 of 2025asking for a complete restoration of the Mulavigraham. After another round of inspection, the Tantri submitted to the Kerala High Court that the damages are only deepening due to lack of prservations. 

The Mulavigraham is made of Kadusarkara, a very detailed and labour intense process. The Bhagavan graces and blesses from the 18-foot vigraham with 12008 Salagramas in the base (Adisesha). Some of the damages mentioned in the 12-page report - 

1. Main Deity - the toes of the right and left feet, lower side of the legs, waist, ceases of dresses are damaged and discolored. The stalk of lotus on which Brahma sits can be pulled off easily, the kalkam on the face of Brahma and the hand on the left side is broken. The Yagyopaveedam is damaged in several spots. Kalkam is lost around Makarakundalam. Several portions of the left hand, fingers, are shaking and damaged with decoloration. The Beauty of this hand is missing. The right hand also suffers damages. Keyuram and other ornaments are damaged. The Kalkam on the face is damaged between brows on the cheeks.
2. Ananthan – There is a depression of approx. 1 chaan – 46.6 cm, several places kalkam has got separated including the spirals and the hoods.
3. On the murties on the wall – Narada, Garuda, Thumburu, bhagawathy waving the Chamaram aka fan, chakram ,Shanka, Padma and Gada Moorthy all have kalkams separated and damaged. The angapoorthy has not been achieved that is it looks incomplete in simple terms.
4. Bhoodevi – suffers significant damage with kalkams separated in all parts, no toes on feet, No big toe and first toe on the other. No Kumbham on right hand, hole near left back of her thighs. A complete assessment was not done.
5. SriDevi – different length legs, Padmam on her left hand is broken, major portion below her waist and near thighs is lost, kalkam was torn in several parts.
6. Similar damages were found on Bhrugu maharishi, Divakara Muni, Soorya, Saptha rishi and the Moon.

On the Nov 19, 2025 the Kerala High Court ordered the temple committee based on the reports filed by the Tantri and the Executive Officer on behalf of the committee to "Restore the Mulavigraham with Sanctity" .   Nov 19, 2025 LiveLaw News

Among the temple's revered aspects is the Mulavigraham, the central and presiding Deity SriPadmanabhaswamy is at the epicenter. The full restoration is crucial for the proper conduction of rituals and prayers. I am deeply concerned because a damaged Mulavigraham can attract negative energy, hampering the temple's sanctity and affecting worship. It would be gross injustice to continue worship of a damaged vigraham. The energy/aura and blessings (Chaithanya and Sannidanam) that radiate from a deity are contingent upon the deity's complete form. Therefore, the need to restore the Mulavigraham is not just an act of preservation but a necessary step to uphold the spiritual integrity of the temple.

There is an urgent call to action for the Administrative and Advisory committees, as well as the Tantri, the temple priest, to prioritize and execute a thorough restoration of the Mulavigraham. This restoration will allow devotees to continue their spiritual practices without interruption and ensure that the temple remains a beacon of divine energy and blessings for its visitors for generations to come. 

Note: A similar temple with 22-foot AdiKesava at Thiruvattaru (about 50 kms from Padmanabha) houses 16108 Salagrama and is constructed as Padmanabha's mirror image in Kadusarkarayogam. The temple was in Balalayam during the course of restoration. Mahakumbhaishekam was completed in Jul 6, 2022. 

Historically, temple restorations such as this have seen positive impact on both the local community and visiting devotees when the full sanctification of the temple's deities is restored. With a restored and fixed vigraham, the temple can continue to be a serene place of worship and spiritual refuge.

I plead with devotees and the wider community to support this cause by gathering signatures to demonstrate our united commitment to the temple's spiritual sanctity and also to preserve it for our future generations.

We ask the temple's authorities to respect our religious and cultural sentiments by taking immediate action to restore the Mulavigraham with a proper Balalayam.

Your signature can make a difference. Please lend your support to preserve the sanctity of Sri Padmanabha Temple and ensure that future generations may also experience its divine grace. Sign this petition and help safeguard our religious heritage.

Namo Padmanabhaya Namah: