1.Navaikkulam Shankaranarayana Temple in Thiruvananthapuram district
2.Ramanthali Shankaranarayana Temple in Kannur district
3.Thiruvegappura Shankaranarayana Temple in Palakkad district
4.Puthukode Shankaranarayana Temple in Palakkad district
5.Panamanna Shankaranarayana Temple in Palakkad district
6.Shankaranarayana Shrine of Vadakkunnatha Temple in Thrissur district.
Proper signboards are available from the N.H.47 to the temple. Since the temple is very renowned, accessibility to the temple may not be a problem for the devotees.
Various cabs and auto rickshaws are available near the Haripad bus station and Railway station to reach Mannarassala at nominal fare.
Since located near the highway almost equidistant between the cities of Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi (approx.113 kms and 103 kms respectively), it is easy to reach Haripad via bus and train.
Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple is a very ancient pilgrimage for the devotees of serpent gods (Nagaraja).
The famous Nagaraja temple “Mannarasala” is nestled in the forest (groove).The grove is spotted with the granite idols of serpents.
There are 2 main idols: ‘Nagaraja’ or the serpent king and his consort, Sarpayakshini. Mannarasala Temple has over 30,000 images of snakes along the paths and among the trees, and is the largest such temple in Kerala. A special turmeric paste which is available at the temple is credited with curative powers.
The story on the evolution of Mannarasala as one of the foremost places of worship of the Serpent Gods is associated with Lord Parashurama who is widely believed to be the creator of Kerala.
Main offerings:
For wealth and prosperity: A pot filled with gold or a gold pot filled with other things.
For education, prosperity and fame: Silk grains, divine ornaments.
For recovering health: Salt
For protection from poison: Turmeric
For curing diseases: Pepper, mustard, green peas etc.
For protection from damage: Serpent cave made of gold etc., images of serpents’ eggs, tree, earth etc.,
For long life: Melted butter (ghee)
For getting whatever one wants: Milk, ripe kadalai fruit, nilavarapayasam.
For having child: A vessel named Uruli made of brass, bronze etc. for performing ‘Nurum Palum’.
Offerings- details
details update soon
** It is mandatory to produce ‘prashnacharthu’ (directions from experts) for performing the Nurum Palum for sarppahimsa and eliminating sarppasthanam.
It is mandatory to book in advance for the offerings with the star mark *.
It is advised to source pooja materials like salt, turmeric, puttu (abode of serpents), Sarppavigraham, Uruli etc. from the outlet of Devaswom.
Sarppavigraham, Mutta ( egg), Puttu etc. should be made only of any four metals like Gold, Silver, Iron or brass
D.D./ or Money Order should for any offering should be addressed as –
THE MANAGER
Mannarassala Temple
Mannarassala P.O.
Harippad,
Kerala
India
Pin : 690550.
The garbhagriha of the temple is reachable only by a bridge. What is most amazing about the temple, is that a vegetarian crocodile has been guarding the temple for hundreds of years.
The past of the temple is still obscure except for some legends. It was at this place where Divakara Muni Vilwamangalam, the great Tulu Brahmin sage, did penance and performed poojas.
Legend has it that one day Lord Narayana appeared before him as a child.
The boy’s face was glowing with radiance and this overwhelmed the sage.
He became anxious and asked who he was. The boy replied that he had no father no mother and none at home.
Vilwamangalam felt pity for the boy and allowed him to stay there.
The boy proposed a condition that whenever he feels humiliated he will leave the place at once.
He served the sage for sometime. But soon his juvenile pranks became intolerable for the sage and he reacted violently.
Humiliated the boy disappeared from there after proclaiming that if Vilwamangalam wants to see him he would have to go to Ananthankat, the forest of serpent god Anantha.
Vilwamangalam soon realized that the boy was none but the lord himself and he had great repentance.
He found a cave at the place where the boy disappeared and he proceeded further into the cave in search of the boy. He reached the sea and proceeded further toward the south and at last he reached a woody area near the sea.
Vilwamangalam saw the child who soon disappeared into huge illippa tree (Indian butter tree or Mahua tree).
Immediately the tree fell down and assumed the shape of Lord Vishnu lying on a thousands hooded serpent.
From very ancient times, one crocodile has been seen there.
Though devotees used to take bath in the tank there is no instance of it harming anyone.
Babia is the name by which this guardian is known by the devotees.
It is the local guardian and the messenger of the temple.
The only food that Babia takes is the offerings of the devotees.
Usually it is a special gruel made of rice and molasses.
After the worship, the food offered by devotees (prasadam) is given to Babia at noon.
Temple authorities claim that Babia is a vegetarian and has never harmed anyone including the fishes in the pond.
There is an interesting local legend that narrates the entire story behind the guardian crocodile.
Once Sree Vilvamangalathu Swami, devotee of Lord Vishnu, was doing penance for his favourite Lord.
While he was in his prayers, Lord Krishna in the form of a little boy appeared and started disturbing him.
Being annoyed by the behaviour of this child, the saint pushed Lord Krishna aside with his left hand.
The boy immediately disappeared into a nearby cave and the truth dawned on the saint as to who the boy was.
The crevice into which Krishna is said to have disappeared is still there.
The crocodile guards the entrance and the shrine.
In 1945, when the British soldiers were stationed there, one soldier shot dead the crocodile.
To the surprise of everyone the soldier died within few days by a snake-bite.
People believe it to be a curse by the serpent god Anantha.
Soon another crocodile appeared in the tank and even now if one is fortunate one can see it.
The legend goes that there is only one crocodile in the lake at a time.
When one crocodile dies, another one appears in the lake. The devotees pay great respect to this crocodile.
Temple Design.
The temple is unique in its structural aspects for it is erected in the middle of an impressive lake of 302 feet.
The lake is gifted with a perennial supply of pure spring water
. We can find the ruins of temples all round the lake which stand testimony to the fact that it was part of a great temple complex.
The sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum), namaskara-mandapam, thitappalli, and shrines of Jala-Durga and the entrance of the cave are located in the lake
. The namaskara mandapam is connected to the eastern rock by a foot-bridge which is the only passage to the sreekovil.
The principal deity is Lord Vishnu.
One of the key features of the temple is that the original idols in the sanctum sanctorum were not made of metal or stone, but of a rare combination of more than 70 medicinal materials called `kadu-sharkara-yogam.’
These idols were replaced by panchaloha metals in 1972.
They were donated by Kaanchi Kaamakoti Mathaadhipathi His Holiness Jayendra Saraswathy Thiruvatikal.
Efforts are going on now to reinstall the idols made with `kadu-sharkara-yogam.’
The Lord Vishnu idol is in a sitting pose over a five-hooded serpent king Lord Anantha.
The lake temple is open to all visitors regardless of caste or creed. The District Tourism Promotion Council has plans to preserve the temple and its
surroundings for its uniqueness.
The temple has an excellent collection of wood carvings on the ceilings of the mandapam.
These carvings depict the incidents taken from the stories of dasaavatharam (the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu).
Some of them are painted. The Nava-grahas (nine planets) are painted at the muktha-mandapam.
On either side of the sreekovil dwaara-palakas (jaya and vijaya) are beautifully carved in wood.
The temple is open to all regardless of religion or cast.
The nearest major railway station to Ananthapura Lake Temple is Kasaragod railway station which is about 12 km from here.
There is also a railway station at Kumbala.
Karipur International Airport, Kozhikode is the nearest airport which is about 200 km from here.
To reach there by road one has to take a deviation from Naayakkaapp (5k m from Kumbala) on the Kumbala-Badiyatukka road.
Dharma Sastha, populaly known as Lord Ayyapa is considered to be the Custodian of Dharma in Kali Yuga.
His Temple at Sabarimala attracts millions of pilgrims during the Makar Sankaranthi where a Divine Orb appears in the sky when the Arthi is performed .
Of the temples of Kerala for Ayyappa, the following temples were consecrated by Parashurama.
Lord Ayyappa.
Achan Koil,
Aryan Kavu and
Kulathu Puzha.
The following is a List of Ayyappa Temples in Kerala.
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