Mannarsala Temple - Snake Temple of Kerala By Debika Sen
Mannarsala Temple - Snake Temple of Kerala
By Debika Sen
Snakes have fascinated me ever since I held an Anaconda, in Brazil, across my shoulders. Although, it felt slimy, the skin, glistening in the hot sun looked so beautiful. I fell in love with this dangerous reptile only for a moment till it tried to wrap its tail around my arm, crushing my bones!
Snakes predominantly represent re-birth, death, and destruction, due to shedding of its skin and metaphorically "re-born". They hold a significant role in numerous cultures and mythologies. Hindus worship snakes as Gods and refer to them as “Nag Devata” (Snake God)! At Greek hospitals and temples, non-poisonous snakes were used in healing rituals. With the passing of time, snakes have been correlated with medicine.
Mannarsala Sree Nagaraja (Snake King) Temple, in the district of Alleppey, Kerala, is 3,000 years old and considered to be the largest and most famous snake temple in India. As the name suggests, Mannarsala Temple, is dedicated to Lord Nagaraja, the King of Serpents. The temple’s setting is tranquil amidst a dense forest grove. There are over 30,000 snake images in varied forms and sizes along the path and trees leading to the temple. Newlyweds and childless couples visit this temple to be blessed with a child.
Stone Idols of Sree Nagaraja
Legend has it that this ancient temple was created by Lord Parasurama and the land, now known as Kerala, rose from the sea when Parasurama threw his axe into its waters. Since the property was infertile and infested with snakes, he did penance to Lord Nagaraja who agreed to relocate to another site, known as Mannarasala.
Mannasarla Sree Nagaraja Temple Entrance
After a fire broke out in the forest, numerous snakes perished while others got burned and crawled into pits, now part of the temple. A Brahmin’s (priest caste) wife, who was childless, smeared turmeric powder, milk, honey, and coconut water on their bodies for comfort. Nagaraja, pleased with her kindness, came to her in a dream, promising to be born as her son. She became pregnant with twins, giving birth to a five hooded serpent child and a male baby. When the children became adults, the eldest child (serpent) disappeared into the cellar of the house, to meditate. The serpent brother advised his younger twin brother to get married. He assigned his mother to perform certain rituals. This custom is followed till date. Therefore, Mannarasala Amma (mother) is Nagaraja’s mother and devotees seek her blessings.
Sree Nagaraja Painted the Temple’s Pillar
As I walked into the temple, I saw a couple, the wife in her late 30s and husband in his early 40s with an infant son. Surrounded by family members, they were celebrating the birth of this long awaited child. Married for nearly 8 years, they had remained childless. As a last resort they visited this temple and prayed in a special ceremony called Uruli Kamathal, to conceive a child. Once the couple is blessed with a baby, they return to the temple for a special prayer ceremony, gifting a snake idol to the temple.
After 8 years of marriage, the parents are blessed with a little boy
It was fascinating to view the infant placed on one side of the scale while on the other scale, bananas, grains, coconuts, melons, and pepper were offered to the Nagaraja. The offering was gifted based on the baby’s weight! Of course money, gold, silver, and copper effigies including sandalwood and much more are offered to the temple. Behind the couple, hymns softly resonated throughout the sanctuary.
The baby’s weight will be based on the number of gifts presented to Sree Nagaraja
Temple Musicians
Befriending the temple’s priest, I learned “the eldest wife in the family becomes the Amma (mother), undergoing training for a year.” She leads a monastic life and does penance. If Amma falls sick, no one can replace her to perform the prayer ceremony.
Amma blessing the new parents and their twins
I must have had a look of disbelief on my face when the priest narrated a true story to me! As a 13 year old child bride, Savitri married into the family. Barely married for a year, she underwent training as the temple’s Amma (mother). She passed away at the age of 75. After an Amma’s demise, her feet are washed with holy water (Ganges water). The same water is used to be poured over the next Amma’s body once she is ordained. I was amazed to learn that although educated – the men and women in the family, adhere to this ancient tradition.
I walk away from the Mannarsala Sree Nagaraja Temple an empowered woman – not a mother, wife, daughter, or sister but one who is aligned with her deep, spiritual self.
Currently, Debika is the Founder and President of A Classic Tours Collection, an immersive tour operator that takes tour participants across continents on unique tour experiences.
Website: www.aclassictour.com
After entering the travel industry as a receptionist, Debika discovered a fascination for designing trips. As she began to understand the mechanisms of what makes a trip great, Debika embarked on designing trips that today focus on - and fulfill - a spiritual and emotional need for travelers. It was her passion for unique tours that culminated in the launch of A Classic Tours in 2008, based in Redondo Beach, CA. Over the past decade, Debika has grown her tour offerings, team and business, and has offered over 30 experiences across 20 countries.
Notably, Debika created the Women’s Empowerment Tour after being selected for - and participating in – The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. During this time, Debika developed the unique Women’s Empowerment Tour of India, which led to additional tours of historical importance, from Women Empowerment tours to Tahiti, Croatia and Japan, to her one-of-a-kind journey into Imperial Russia and The Occult.
In her downtime, Debika is an avid reader and writer, putting together articles about travel and insights gained through travel, and devouring a multitude of books on travel and history. She also enjoys seeing movies and of course, traveling!