Thiruvananthapuram, the beautiful city washed by the blue waters of the Arabian Sea, is the capital of the southernmost state of Kerala. Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswami temple is a major Vaishnavite pilgrim centre and is one of the 108 Tirupatis dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Saint Nammalwar, who lived in the 5th century AD, has sung in praise of the Lord in his Paasurams (Tamil hymns). The entire region from Gokarna to Kanyakumari is known as Parasurama Kshetra. According to Puranas, the sage is believed to have reclaimed the land from sea by throwing his axe into the ocean. He established several shrines of Shiva, Vishnu, Bhagavathi and Sastha along the coast and the mountain range in order to guard the land