Nagaraja Temple Nagercoil - Innumerable Statues of Serpents

Worship of serpents is very common as per Hinduism all over India. This temple is known for its worship of the king of serpents or Nagaraja ‘Vasuki’. According to the legends, once upon a time, there was a woman in this area cutting grass in her field. She came across blood that time oozing from the ground. She was clueless with the situation and she immediately ran to the village to inform the elders. Villagers reached the spot, digging it to find a five headed serpent idol. As the snakes are a form of God, the villagers immediately cleaned the ground and built a small thatched shrine for the idol and worshipped there. It was the time between 1516 and 1535, Travancore king Veera Udaya Marthanda Varma ruled this area with Kalakad as headquarters. He was suffering from leprosy disease. He was directed to visit this temple every Sunday to get out of the ailments. His leprosy was cured and in gratitude, he initiated the present structure of the temple. The king was instructed by the serpent itself, not to make a roof over its sanctum, leaving it open air. One can find the shrine in that form even today. The temple has a distinct style of Kerala and Dravidian architecture. It is a widespread belief from the devotees that the sand around this temple soil is a good medicine for skin diseases. The temple garden is famous for Nagalinga flowers (Couroupita Guianensis) which is a symbolic representation of Nagaraja. There are numerous idols of serpents in the campus.