Padmanabhaswami Temple in Kerala

The majestic 18-feet-long idol of the principal deity at the sprawling Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is found to have been covered in gold and invaluable precious stones, spurring an unprecedented swell in the flow of devotees to the centuries-old shrine here . The chance discovery on the idol of Anantha Padmanabha -- Lord Vishnu in reclining posture on the Serpent Anantha -- was made during a restoration work of a part of the idol made of 'Kudusarkara' mixture processed with several costly ingredients, including ayurvedic herbs, and inlaid with 'Salagramam'. The idol is said to be a rare one, as 'Salagramam' is not normally used in Kudusarkara idols.