Mannarasala temple is on NH – 47, less than 150 Km from the Cochin International Airport or about 50-Km from Alleppey town. Ayilyam pooja festival is attended by thousands of devotees, the last festival wan on 30th October this year; over fifty thousand people attended the function and the feast. Among the distingushed visitors there were two ladies from Sweden: Gabi and Lindsay.
Mannarahsala is unique in its rituals. The priestess is an elderly brahmin lady ‘Velyamma’ a descendant of the family, traditionally entrusted with the rituals and management of the temple.
The evolution of the temple as the supreme place of worship for serpents is traced to the time of Parashurama, who created Kerala by his divine powers: throwing the celestial axe from the northern tip over the sea, to raise the land of Kerala from the sea bed ,after propitiating Varuna ‘the sea God’. Land was full of poisonous snakes and seaweed making it unsuitable for human habitation. Parashurama sought a boon from the serpent King Nagaraja who removed the poison from this land and subsequently the land was offered to the brahmins by Parashurama.
A devotee Bharghavarama installed the Nagaraja temple at Mannarashala. His descendants have been conducting the pooja and rituals here since then.
It is believed that those who offer prayers at Mannarashala are blessed with progeny ;and many childless couples visit Mannarasala to offer prayers. Serpents are said to be associated with fertility even in the ancient Egypt, Babylon and Greece. The special ritual and prayer is made by inverting brass ouruli (Casserole like pan) at the temple; this pan is reversed, may be after a year or two, only after the couple is blessed with a child. Hence the association of serpents with the gift of procreation and children.
Subsequently the serpent God became an integral part of the idols in most of the temples. Pulluvan pattu song is sung in praise of Nagaraja in these temples too. In olden times, serpent idols were installed near many homes and worshipped. Even now people believe that hurting a snake or a serpent is a sin. It is also believed that those afflicted with incurable skin diseases are cured by offering prayers at Mannarasala.
The Maharaja of Travancore used to come here to offer prayers on Ayilyam festival day every year. Mannarasala temple is unique and worth visiting. There is no such temple anywhere else in India.
Mannarahsala is unique in its rituals. The priestess is an elderly brahmin lady ‘Velyamma’ a descendant of the family, traditionally entrusted with the rituals and management of the temple.
The evolution of the temple as the supreme place of worship for serpents is traced to the time of Parashurama, who created Kerala by his divine powers: throwing the celestial axe from the northern tip over the sea, to raise the land of Kerala from the sea bed ,after propitiating Varuna ‘the sea God’. Land was full of poisonous snakes and seaweed making it unsuitable for human habitation. Parashurama sought a boon from the serpent King Nagaraja who removed the poison from this land and subsequently the land was offered to the brahmins by Parashurama.
A devotee Bharghavarama installed the Nagaraja temple at Mannarashala. His descendants have been conducting the pooja and rituals here since then.
It is believed that those who offer prayers at Mannarashala are blessed with progeny ;and many childless couples visit Mannarasala to offer prayers. Serpents are said to be associated with fertility even in the ancient Egypt, Babylon and Greece. The special ritual and prayer is made by inverting brass ouruli (Casserole like pan) at the temple; this pan is reversed, may be after a year or two, only after the couple is blessed with a child. Hence the association of serpents with the gift of procreation and children.
Subsequently the serpent God became an integral part of the idols in most of the temples. Pulluvan pattu song is sung in praise of Nagaraja in these temples too. In olden times, serpent idols were installed near many homes and worshipped. Even now people believe that hurting a snake or a serpent is a sin. It is also believed that those afflicted with incurable skin diseases are cured by offering prayers at Mannarasala.
The Maharaja of Travancore used to come here to offer prayers on Ayilyam festival day every year. Mannarasala temple is unique and worth visiting. There is no such temple anywhere else in India.
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