[Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Mannarshala (Mandarashala) - The abode of Nagaraja

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Krishna ! Guruvayoorappa ! A very nice write-up . Mannarashala-Amma is a Divine Sage to millions of devotees . The forest fire that had occurred was due to Khandava-Dahanam which was performed by Sri Krishna and Arjuna . There are many evidences in this area to confirm this historical event . Regards, Krishnadaya "PS, Vinod K (GE Infra, Energy)" <vinod.ps wrote: !! Sri Rama Jayam !! The king of snakes is known as Nagaraja and the temple of Mannarshala is dedicated to him. It has a unique history even in a place like Kerala, where fact and fiction, myth and miracle mingle together. The town of Haripad lies twenty miles north of Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala. The Nagaraja temple of Mannarshala is three kilometres

to the north of Haripad. The history of this temple is a fascinating blend of fact, legends and events that have been handed down through the generations. In fact it is said to have existed at the very start of this present epoch known as Kali Yuga. Parashurama was the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu and he is closely connected with the formation as well as the history of the land known as Kerala. He is said to have propitiated Varuna, the god of the sea who allowed him to carve out a land for himself out of the seabed. Parashurama threw his axe far out to the sea and the land mass known as Kerala rose up. Unfortunately the ground was totally saline and unfit for cultivation. He then did tapasya to Lord Shiva who told him that the land could be made habitable only by spreading the poison of snakes all over it. For this he would have to worship Nagaraja, the king of

snakes. Undaunted by this, Parashurama chose a fitting spot for his tapasya and proceeded to worship Nagaraja who eventually appeared to him in all his splendour. He spread his deadly venom all over the land until it was completely desalinated and Kerala emerged as an emerald paradise, rich in natural vegetation and resources. Parashurama now begged Nagaraja to take up his permanent abode in this beautiful spot, to which he agreed. Parashurama then struck the earth with his axe so that water spouted out of it. He bathed himself in this water and took the same for the installation of the temple of Nagaraja. This is the spot where the present temple of Nagaraja is located in Mannarshala and even today this water has to be used in all

the rituals. The idol of Nagaraja, which was consecrated here by Parashurama, is supposed to contain the spiritual essence of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Its original name was 'Mandarashala' due to the fact that the region was covered with Mandara bushes containing white flowers. In the course of time this was shortened to Mannarshala. As in many other famous temples of Kerala, Parashurama himself performed the first worship of the deity and then taught the method to the priests appointed by him. They were warned of the dire consequences, which would accrue to them if they went against his mandates so it is that this is one of the few temples, which has escaped the invasive modern culture and sticks faithfully to its ancient principles of worship. He also advised every home in Kerala to

reserve the southeast or southwest corner of their compound for snakes who were the true guardians of this land. Many years passed until a time came when the family of priests was threatened with extinction since they had no male heir to carry on the sacred trust of the worship of Nagaraja. In fact just one couple was left of the erstwhile large family. They didn’t know what to do and prayed to their family deity to help them. Just then another disaster struck. A raging forest fire consumed all the surroundings but miraculously, left the temple untouched. All the snakes in the vicinity rushed to take shelter at the feet of Nagaraja. Many of them were badly burnt. The couple were most distressed to see their snake children in such a plight and did their best to treat the victims with mantras and herbs. They also made little abodes for them and told them to stay there in

peace. Nagaraja was so pleased by their compassion for his family that he appeared before the lady known as Sri Devi and told her that he would be born as her son in two forms – one in his own form as a five-hooded snake and another as a human child. To the amazement of the couple this vision came to pass within a year. In the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February\March), on the day when the star known as Ayilyam was in ascendancy, Sri Devi gave birth to two boys. The elder was a snake and the younger a human. The star Ayilyam is supposed to be a very auspicious one for snakes. The children grew up together and were initiated into all the Vedic rites and rituals pertaining to the worship of Nagaraja. After the birth of the children, the couple gave up conjugal life and became recluses, totally

engaging themselves in puja and prayer. The day on which the star Ayilyam falls in the month of Kanni, (September\October) is very important in all snake temples and many special pujas are done on that day. One year due to some unforeseen circumstance the husband was unable to attend to the puja on that day. In fact he was half way through the puja on the previous day when he was told about the occurrence, because of which he was unable to complete even that puja. This is supposed to be a serious crime and one which is sure to incur the wrath of the deity concerned which in this case happened to be Nagaraja himself. There was no male available to continue the puja on that day. The next day, was the all-important festival of snakes that was mandatory for them to perform. Sri Devi was sunk in despair when she heard this. However she decided to take

matters into her own hands. She purified herself in the waters of the holy tank and went into the sanctum sanctorum where she sat in deep meditation. At that time she heard Nagaraja telling her to continue with the puja herself. She was to complete that day’s puja as well as perform the next day’s all-important puja. From that day onwards she was to remain within the temple precincts and forget about her duties in the house and concentrate only on the worship in the temple. A new chapter was opened in the annals of the temple. In fact it was a new chapter in the annals of Kerala temple history. The eldest female member of the family was accepted as the high

priestess. Normally the work of conducting pujas was one which was totally in the hands of males and this was a most unorthodox and unprecedented procedure but such was the devotion and spiritual quality of the female members of this family that they soon rose to a highly respected and revered position in society. To this day the main pujas of this temple are conducted by the eldest female member of the family who is tutored from a young age to accept the mantle of responsibility, which would fall on her. They are to be completely celibate and have to follow a rigid discipline of prayer and meditation. To get back to our original story. When the boys attained manhood, the human boy got married. The snake son was known as Ananta and due to his

presence, the family prospered and devotees started pouring in. The family was the guardian of the sacred lore pertaining to the cure of snake bits, rats bites, skin diseases and so on. Even now they practise this and it is a closely guarded secret of the family, which has been passed down from generation to generation. The snake Ananta used to roam about freely in the compound. He was perfectly harmless but the pilgrims were not to know this and his form was enough to terrify most of them. On one Shivaratri day, there was a big crowd and Ananta went around scaring people in a playful way, until at last his mother got a bit annoyed and told him, “Why don’t you stop startling people and go and sit in a corner in the cellar?” Hardly were the words out of her mouth when she realised her mistake and apologised for her words. But by then he had slithered into the

cellar and only his voice could be heard. “In future if you wish to see me, you can come to the cellar but see to it that no one except my family members are allowed entry”. With these words the door banged shut. The mother was heart broken. Next day she took his favourite food and went in but she could not see him anywhere. She broke down and wept. Ananta’s voice was heard once again. “Mother leave the food and go away but you may return on the 5th day. If there are any leftovers it can be distributed among the family members. Once a year on this day (the day after Shivaratri) you may offer food to me. The rest of the time I shall remain here in samadhi. On this day

the members of the family may come here to get my blessings. The rest of the time no one should disturb me.”. This custom is followed to this day and the family members assemble in the cellar on this day to get the blessings of Ananta who is endearingly referred to as Mutthassan or grandfather. For more information : http://www.vanamaliashram.org/MANNARSHALA.html Hare Krishna Hare Rama

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Jai Sreekrishna Dear Vinodji Thank you for the write up on Mannarashala. Infact I hale from Haripad and my house is near to Haripad Sree Subramaniyaswami temple and Mannarasala temple. As children we used to go to both these temples and especially on Sundays to Mannarasala. But at that time, that was just routine as our parents used to threaten us that no food at all if we do not go to the temple . I still remember those days when we used to go to these temples with my grandmother. Thank you Vinodji for taking my mind to those childhood days with this article Now having settled in Mumbai and became more religious minded by the passing of time,I understand the value, but then we have to wait a whole year to go to these temples. I did

meet Mannarasala Amma during my last vacation Humbly Syamala Krishna ! Guruvayoorappa ! A very nice write-up . Mannarashala-Amma is a Divine Sage to millions of devotees . The forest fire that had occurred was due to Khandava-Dahanam which was performed by Sri Krishna and Arjuna . There are many evidences in this area to confirm this historical event . Regards, Krishnadaya "PS, Vinod K (GE Infra, Energy)" <vinod.ps (AT) ge (DOT) com> wrote: !! Sri Rama Jayam !! The king of snakes is known as Nagaraja and the temple of Mannarshala is

dedicated to him. It has a unique history even in a place like Kerala, where fact and fiction, myth and miracle mingle together. The town of Haripad lies twenty miles north of Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala. The Nagaraja temple of Mannarshala is three kilometres to the north of Haripad. The history of this temple is a fascinating blend of fact, legends and events that have been handed down through the generations. In fact it is said to have existed at the very start of this present epoch known as Kali Yuga. Parashurama was the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu and he is closely connected with the formation as well as the history of the land known as Kerala. He is said to have propitiated Varuna, the god of the sea who allowed him to carve out a land for himself out of the seabed. Parashurama threw his axe far out to the sea and the land mass known as Kerala rose up.

Unfortunately the ground was totally saline and unfit for cultivation. He then did tapasya to Lord Shiva who told him that the land could be made habitable only by spreading the poison of snakes all over it. For this he would have to worship Nagaraja, the king of snakes. Undaunted by this, Parashurama chose a fitting spot for his tapasya and proceeded to worship Nagaraja who eventually appeared to him in all his splendour. He spread his deadly venom all over the land until it was completely desalinated and Kerala emerged as an emerald paradise, rich in natural vegetation and resources. Parashurama now begged Nagaraja to take up his permanent abode in this beautiful spot, to which he agreed. Parashurama then struck the earth with his

axe so that water spouted out of it. He bathed himself in this water and took the same for the installation of the temple of Nagaraja. This is the spot where the present temple of Nagaraja is located in Mannarshala and even today this water has to be used in all the rituals. The idol of Nagaraja, which was consecrated here by Parashurama, is supposed to contain the spiritual essence of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Its original name was 'Mandarashala' due to the fact that the region was covered with Mandara bushes containing white flowers. In the course of time this was shortened to Mannarshala. As in many other famous temples of Kerala, Parashurama himself performed the first worship of the deity and then taught the method to the priests appointed by him. They were warned of the dire

consequences, which would accrue to them if they went against his mandates so it is that this is one of the few temples, which has escaped the invasive modern culture and sticks faithfully to its ancient principles of worship. He also advised every home in Kerala to reserve the southeast or southwest corner of their compound for snakes who were the true guardians of this land. Many years passed until a time came when the family of priests was threatened with extinction since they had no male heir to carry on the sacred trust of the worship of Nagaraja. In fact just one couple was left of the erstwhile large family. They didn’t know what to do and prayed to their family deity to help them. Just then another disaster struck. A raging forest fire consumed all the surroundings but miraculously, left the temple untouched. All the snakes in the vicinity rushed to take shelter

at the feet of Nagaraja. Many of them were badly burnt. The couple were most distressed to see their snake children in such a plight and did their best to treat the victims with mantras and herbs. They also made little abodes for them and told them to stay there in peace. Nagaraja was so pleased by their compassion for his family that he appeared before the lady known as Sri Devi and told her that he would be born as her son in two forms – one in his own form as a five-hooded snake and another as a human child. To the amazement of the couple this vision came to pass within a year. In the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February\March), on the day when the star known as Ayilyam was in ascendancy, Sri Devi gave birth to two boys. The elder was a snake and the younger a human. The star Ayilyam is

supposed to be a very auspicious one for snakes. The children grew up together and were initiated into all the Vedic rites and rituals pertaining to the worship of Nagaraja. After the birth of the children, the couple gave up conjugal life and became recluses, totally engaging themselves in puja and prayer. The day on which the star Ayilyam falls in the month of Kanni, (September\October) is very important in all snake temples and many special pujas are done on that day. One year due to some unforeseen circumstance the husband was unable to attend to the puja on that day. In fact he was half way through the puja on the previous day when he was told about the occurrence, because of which he was unable to complete even that puja. This is supposed to be a serious crime and one which is sure to incur the wrath of the deity concerned which in this case

happened to be Nagaraja himself. There was no male available to continue the puja on that day. The next day, was the all-important festival of snakes that was mandatory for them to perform. Sri Devi was sunk in despair when she heard this. However she decided to take matters into her own hands. She purified herself in the waters of the holy tank and went into the sanctum sanctorum where she sat in deep meditation. At that time she heard Nagaraja telling her to continue with the puja herself. She was to complete that day’s puja as well as perform the next day’s all-important puja. From that day onwards she was to remain within the temple precincts and forget about her duties in the house and concentrate only on the worship in the temple. A new chapter was opened in the annals of the temple. In fact it was a new chapter in the annals of Kerala temple history. The eldest female member of the family was accepted as the high priestess. Normally the work of conducting pujas was one which was totally in the hands of males and this was a most unorthodox and unprecedented procedure but such was the devotion and spiritual quality of the female members of this family that they soon rose to a highly respected and revered position in society. To this day the main pujas of this temple are conducted by the eldest female member of the family who is tutored from a young age to accept the mantle of responsibility, which would fall on her. They are to be completely celibate and have to follow a rigid discipline of prayer and meditation. To get back to our original story. When the boys attained manhood, the human boy got married. The snake son was known as Ananta and due to his presence, the family prospered and devotees started pouring in. The family was the guardian of the sacred lore pertaining to the cure of snake bits, rats bites, skin diseases and so on. Even now they practise this and it is a closely guarded secret of the family, which has been passed down from generation to generation. The snake Ananta used to roam about freely in the compound. He was perfectly harmless but the pilgrims were not to know this and his form was enough to terrify most of them. On one Shivaratri day, there was a big crowd and Ananta went around scaring people in a playful

way, until at last his mother got a bit annoyed and told him, “Why don’t you stop startling people and go and sit in a corner in the cellar?” Hardly were the words out of her mouth when she realised her mistake and apologised for her words. But by then he had slithered into the cellar and only his voice could be heard. “In future if you wish to see me, you can come to the cellar but see to it that no one except my family members are allowed entry”. With these words the door banged shut. The mother was heart broken. Next day she took his favourite food and went in but she could not see him anywhere. She broke down and wept. Ananta’s voice was heard once again. “Mother

leave the food and go away but you may return on the 5th day. If there are any leftovers it can be distributed among the family members. Once a year on this day (the day after Shivaratri) you may offer food to me. The rest of the time I shall remain here in samadhi. On this day the members of the family may come here to get my blessings. The rest of the time no one should disturb me.”. This custom is followed to this day and the family members assemble in the cellar on this day to get the blessings of Ananta who is endearingly referred to as Mutthassan or grandfather. For more information : http://www.vanamaliashram.org/MANNARSHALA.html Hare Krishna Hare Rama Cheap Talk? Check out Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates.

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