The political scenario of Venad changed considerably when Anizham Thirunaal Veera Baala Marthanda Varma ascended the throne of Venad in 1729 at the age of 24. After annexing the neighboring areas and establishing himself as a powerful ruler he undertook the momentous step of Thrippati Daanam – dedicating his country to Sree Padmanabhan. There after he strengthened the army and named it the Nair Brigade. The soldiers had to guard the Padmanabhapuram Palace also. On one side was the shrine of a famous Yakshi and those who stood guard there at night were seen lying unconscious the next morning. Once
more a devotee of Lord Ganapathy was taking bath in the river before going for sentry duty at the part where the Yakshi reigned. His leg touched a stone and he took it up. It was a very small idol of Lord Ganapathy. He put it in his pouch and carried it with him when he went for his duty. He was not bothered by the Yakshi as he was protected by Lord Ganapathy. On coming to know about this the soldiers decided to worship the idol before assuming duty every day thus making Lord Ganapathy the war God of the Nair Brigade. The idol was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram when in 1836 the Nair Brigade took over the barracks of the Cantonment. The state force merged with the Indian Army in 1951. A small shrine was built in 1765 and renovations were carried out many times in subsequent years. Goddess Durga and Vettekkormakan were consecrated later on. Thus, today it stands as an imposing holy place at the heart of Thiruvananthapuram.
Please wait...