towering view

It is gloomy.
You won’t admit to yourself, but you are scared.
Your sensibilities are focused on approximately 10 ft wide space, you are closeted in.
Bats shrieked protesting your presence in their domain and vanished into the musty thickets.

Day light swoops in through a pair of windows. Catch your breath and peep through them. Your heart beat steadies only to ricochet madly out of gear. Yes you are at present standing at the topmost storey of the temple tower of Sree Padmanabha. You are breathless not so much from the climb but the view of the tower commands

View from the pair of windows in each floor facing the east and the west. The geographical expression of this city make you spell bound. If you are visiting in the morning the rugged summits of the Western Ghats draped in the golden hue enthralls. Below is the busy city of Anantha. This breath taking view of the city, lush greenery, many storied concrete structures create an indelible impression in your mind.

Peep through the western window to behold the blue Arabian Sea. Vast stretches of swaying coconut palms begin to glitter shimmer and rustle tantalizingly. If it is in the evening you can enjoy the descending sun painting a riot of colors creating iridescence on the sky line. On the full moon day you can watch the moon climb over silhouetting the rugged peaks, without much fanfare. The stars appear to glow far more brightly that you had ever seen. In the west along the horizon shapeless convective clouds catch the fading rays. These celestial shows from high elevation lend an unmatched radiance.
Focus the attention down inside the temple premises. An aura of reverence pervading their can be felt. You will be awed by the grand architecture and the history that permeates through every square inch. The palace complex, imposing forts, the greenish Padmathertham, with its own allure is enjoyable.
The inner walls of the first two floors of the gopuram are adorned with the incarnations of Lord Vishnu and the Ananthasayana. It is said that from the topmost window you can see the Agasthya peak. As the visitors are not allowed to take binoculars or any other such gadgets the chance of locating the peak is impossible. Not only that the polluted atmosphere hampers clear vision.
About the gopuram that pierces the sky line. Temple records say that the tower has 40 ft foundation, laid during the reign of Aditya Varma in 1566. The first five floors were built during the reign of Marthanda Varma and it was completed by Dharma Raja. The structure is made up of brick lime and mortar on granite base. A boat shaped structure adorns the top of this massive structure which further has seven gold globe-like structures with pointed apex. On all the four sides protruding columns have been built. On the northern side themes related to Lord Krishna are depicted. On the southern side is the coronation of Sree Rama. Dasavathara is essayed on the eastern side while the western side has themes from Ramayana Mahabharata and Bhagavata. Each of the windows in all the seven stories is guarded by Dwarapalakas, expressing vivid emotions. Nagam Aiya the author of Travancore State Manual says that lamps were lit every evening at the windows of the tower.
Visiting the tower is restricted by tickets which ware available near the entrance in the Natakasala.