facebook
News Ever Heard Of Mannarasala Ayilyam? A Unique Festival Of Snakes Celebrated In Kerala
Advertisement

Ever Heard Of Mannarasala Ayilyam? A Unique Festival Of Snakes Celebrated In Kerala

The annual Mannarasala Ayilyam festival held at the Mannarasala Nagaraj Temple in Kerala is unique in its own ways. Find out more about it.

Advertisement

By: Priyanka Chakrabarti Published: Nov 01, 2020 07:00 AM IST

Ever Heard Of Mannarasala Ayilyam? A Unique Festival Of Snakes Celebrated In Kerala

Serpent worship has been a part of the Indian culture since time immemorial. The snake primarily signifies rebirth, death and mortality through the casting of its skin. The annual Mannarasala Ayilyam festival held at the Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple in Kerala leaves its attendees awestruck with its unique rituals and traditions related to serpent worship. Let’s learn all about it. By Angira Kar

The legend of the Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple narrates how Lord Parasurama cleaved out the land known as Kerala. As he found the land infertile and infested with snakes, he is said to have invoked Nagaraja, the snake god. Nagaraja agreed to move and settle at a place that came to be known as Mannarasala. Lord Parasurama installed an idol of the Serpent King along with Sarpayakshi and assigned a scholarly Brahmin to carry out daily rituals for Nagaraja.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Incredible Temples (@incredibletemples) on

When hundreds of snakes perished in a forest fire, others who got hurt crawled into pits near a place that are part of the current temple premises. The childless wife of the Brahmin anointed them with turmeric powder, milk, honey and tender coconut water. Pleased with her selfless service, Nagaraja is said to have appeared in her dream promising to be soon born as her son. The Brahmin lady gave birth to a five-hooded serpent child and a male child. When the two brothers grew up, the five-hooded elder brother disappeared into the underground cellar of the Illam, the Brahmin ancestral home, for meditation after assigning family responsibilities to his brother. He also requested his mother to do certain rituals without fail. He conveyed that only the female members of his mother’s family must perform the pujas. This custom continues to this day. Ever since then, Mannarasala Amma has been venerated as the mother of Lord Nagaraja, and devotees from all over the world arrive here to seek her blessings.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ganesh Shankar (@ekakshara) on

As a serpent shrine, the Ayilyam of Thulam in the Malayalam Calendar, which is popularly known as the Mannarasala Ayilyam, is the iconic celebration of Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple. It is celebrated with much fervour on the Ayilyam asterism in the Malayalam month of Thulam, which roughly corresponds to October and November.

The main attraction of this festival is the grand procession. Serpent idols in the sacred grove and the Mannarasala Temple are carried to the Illam or the Brahmin ancestral home. Special prayers and prasad like Nurum Palum or rice flour and milk are then offered.

The chief priestess whom the devotees fondly call Mannarasala Amma carries the golden idol of the main deity to the Illam. The rituals for Ayilyam festival commence with the opening of the temple for Nirmalyadarshanam, which is then followed by special pujas administered by the Karanavar, the male head of the Mannarasala Illam. Then the chief priestess, Mannarasala Amma will give darshan to the thousands of devotees who flock near the temple complex to celebrate the festival. After the nivedyam or sacred food, a mass feast for the devotees is organised, known as Prasadamoottu, which is then followed by the Nagakkalam rituals administered by the Karanavar.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mehndi Folk Studio (@mehndifolkstudio) on

After these rituals, the grand procession, Ezhunallathu takes place. During this possession, Mannarasala Amma carries the Nagaraja Thirumukham and Nagaphanam, the Elayamma carries the idol of Sarpayakshiyamma, and the Karanavar carries the idols of Nagachamundiyamma and Nagayakshiyamma to the Illam. After reaching the Illam, Mannarasala Amma performs special prayers and pujas followed by the Thattil Noorumpalum ritual conducted by the Karanavar, which marks the end of the annual Mannarasala Ayilyam Festival.

Other prominent offerings in the temple are Archanas and placing of small snake idols with eggs in a serpent mound made of either gold, silver, copper, iron and lead before the deities. Uruli kamazhthu is a unique and popular offering made at this temple, that as per belief, blesses childless couples with progeny.

Of all the places of serpent worship in the world, none is more awe-inspiring and legendary than Mannarasala, as blessed and envisaged by Lord Parasurama, the creator of Kerala. The tranquillity of the Mannarasala temple and its environment attracts thousands of tourists and devotees every year. They throng the temple complex during the Ayilyam festival to seek blessings of Lord Nagaraja. To be a part of this festival is a uniquely enriching experience of a lifetime.

Related: See A Different Side Of India’s Spirituality With These 5 Unique Temples

Written By

Never miss an update

Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest on travel, stay & dining.

No Thanks
You’re all set

Thank you for your subscription.