Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple Overview
Base Station: Mannarasala, Haripad, Kerala
Open Time: 5:30 AM – 8:30 PM
Time Required to Explore: 30 Min
State: Kerala, India
Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple
Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple is a temple which is devoted to serpent worship. It is situated near Haripad, which is around 30 km south of Alappuzha, 15 km from Kayamkulam. As per the belief and holy books, the first priestess of Mannarasala gave birth to a five-headed snake, that resided in the ancestral house to safeguard the family.
Important facts about Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple
The temple has a unique turmeric paste offered to the devotees which are believed to possess curative powers. Devotees throng the place in large numbers to avail this paste which supposedly is capable of curing skin diseases like leprosy. The venerated temple is spread over an area of around 15 acres and is managed by a Brahmin family and is even headed by the priests, just like the generic priest. Apart from that, the temple has picturesque surroundings to accentuate the charm of the bounteous nature; the premises also house some of the small quaint pond and an open courtyard blessed with the green trees.
History of the Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple
The Mannarasala Shree Nagaraja Temple is a well-known and ancient temple that is dedicated to the serpent gods. The popular and famous Nagaraja Temple of Mannarasala is located in a forest glade, just like other temples that are dedicated to snake gods. The temple also has more than 30000 images of snakes in various sizes and shapes along the path and among the trees and is also one amongst the most significant such temples in Kerala.
The temple is situated in the town of Harippad in the Kerala state of Alappuzha district. All the women who are seeking fertility can come here to worship and upon the birth of their newly child come back and conduct some of the special poojas, which most of the time brings snake images as an essential offering.
With the legend related to the origin of the place cannot be deemed as its history, the story on the evolution of the Mannarasala as being one of the foremost places of worship of the Snake gods is also considered with the Lord Parashurama who is said to be the creator of Kerala.
The temple can be visited anytime across the year; the temple even witnesses a huge crowd on the Shivratri and some other special conditions that are celebrated in the temple.