India Post is set to release a Permanent Pictorial Cancellation (PPC) and a special cover dedicated to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, adding one of Kerala’s most celebrated landmarks to the country’s philatelic heritage.
The release, scheduled at the Fort Post Office on August 10 by the governor, will permanently add the temple’s iconic seven-storeyed gopuram to thousands of letters travelling across the country and beyond. The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the fourth temple in the state to receive a PPC after Sabarimala, Guruvayur and the Madhur Temple in Kasaragod. It is also the state’s 43rd PPC, joining a select list of monuments, institutions and destinations considered to have lasting historical, cultural and tourism significance.
Unlike commemorative stamps that remain in circulation for a limited period, a PPC continues to be used indefinitely at a designated post office. Letters or parcels posted from the Fort Post Office and bearing the cancellation will carry an impression of the temple from next Monday.
The cancellation will depict the temple’s iconic eastern gopuram along with the reclining idol of deity Padmanabha in the Ananthasayana posture. The accompanying premium special cover, expected to be priced between ₹100 and ₹200, will feature a gold-foil embossed image of the deity placed before the temple facade. Around 2,000 covers will be released initially, with more to be printed depending on demand.
The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is regarded as one of the finest examples of the Dravidian style of architecture that attracts both locals and tourists from around the world. The principal deity, Lord Padmanabha, reclines on the serpent Anantha, and devotees view the 18-foot murti through three separate doors, which is a feature found nowhere else.
The shrine also caught global attention following the discovery of its underground vaults in 2011, which contained an extraordinary collection of gold ornaments, precious stones, coins, ceremonial objects and artefacts accumulated over centuries.
India Post to release Permanent Pictorial Cancellation and special cover for Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple on August 10; fourth temple in Kerala to receive PPC.
When faith meets philately, even letters carry the divine.
