Photos of deities

hello chitra aunty and others....

can you please post pictures of mannarsala temple at kerala !!! looking forward for the same........

 

Dear Roopanair,

I had been to this great temple and a wonderful temple. Most of our deities are with Snakegod and this place is a legendary one. Lot of people come to amma for solutions?


Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple

Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple (32 km south of Alappuzha)Situated near Harippad, this is a serpent shrine under the patronage of a brahmin family, headed by a priestess. The ancient shrine is an internationally renowned pilgrim centre dedicated to the Serpent God Nagaraja. Sarpa Yakshi and Naga Yakshi are the beloved consorts of Nagaraja. It is believed that Nagaraja as the installed diety is endowed with the form of Hari (Lord Vishnu) and the spirit of Lord Shiva. Legend has it that the first priestess of Mannarasala gave birth to a five-headed snake, which is believed to reside in the ancestral house to safeguard the family. At Mannarasala barren women are believed to be blessed with children and a special turmeric paste available at the shrine is credited with powers to cure even leprosy.

In olden time every Hindu family in Kerala has a serpent-grove. Mannarsala, situated to the north-west of Sri. Subramanyaswamy temple, Haripad, is the seat of the famous temple of Nagaraja (God of serpents), the largest of its kind in Kerala. Built in a grove the temple is reputed for having 30,000 images of snake-Gods.

On the day of Ayilliam asterism in the months of Kanni and Thulam (September and October), all the serpent idols in the grove and the temple are taken in procession to the illam (family connected with the temple) where the offerings of Nurum Palum (rice flour and milk), kuruthi (a red liquid made of turmeric and lime) and cooked rice are made. The oldest female member of the family carries the idol of the Nagaraja and the procession is conducted with great pomp and rejoicing. Even if married, the eldest female member of the illam, is expected to lead a life of abstinence when she becomes the oldest female in the family. During the festival days thousands of people assemble at Mannarasala to worship and propitiate the serpent gods. The offerings include coins and effigies made of gold, silver and copper, grains of all kinds, pepper, tender coconuts, plantains, melons, sandalwood etc. On Ayilliam days the Pulluvans sing and dance either on their own or for payment.

Mannarasala History

Though the legends related to the origin of a place cannot be deemed as its history, the story on the evolution of Mannarasala temple as the supreme place of worship of the serpent Gods is associated with Parasurama, the creator of Kerala.
The history of Mannarashala has been mentioned in the 'Mandara Salodayam' Sanskrit poem written by Mannarasala M.G.Narayanan Nampoodiri of the sacred family, who wrote it on the basis of reliable accounts and legends traditionally handed down and in the light of old books available with the Mannarasala temple. Since the poem was incomplete, the history narrated here is from the book 'The Serpent Temple Mannarasala', published by Mr.N.Jayadevan of Manasa Publications (Translated to English by the renowned scholar Dr.Ayyappa Panikker). This book is also based on the advice and instructions received from the former Great Mother, and in accordance with the other members of the family as well as the old records examined for the purpose.

Mannarasala Uruli Kamazhthu

Uruli Kamazhthu in Nilavara (offering of traditional bronze vessel) is one of the most popular devotee offering in Mannarasala. Known for begetting children to couples, thousands of people come here to carry out this sacred and rare offering to Nagaraja.

According to Mannarasala temple sources, there are certain strict rituals to be followed for this offering. It is advisable only for married couples who have not been able to have children for years, since their marriage.

The couple should come to the temple and pray to the God for his blessings. Receipts for the offering have to be taken from the administration office. Offering includes a bronze Uruli that can be used to cook at least a score of rice, a Nilavilakku (bronze lamp), garland etc. In the presence of the temple authorities, the couples should offer the Uruli with its mouth upwards in front of the Nagaraja shrine after three rounds to the mannarasala temple with due prayers. An offering have to be given to Sarpayakshi as well. After Pooja, Valiamma will take the Uruli to Nilavara and it will be kept there with its mouth downward, which will be opened only after the couples get a child. Expenses for this offering are charted in a way to offer at least two Kadali fruits every day to Nagaraja, for about one year.

Once the couples are blessed with child, they should come to the temple with the child for prayers. They should submit either silver cradle or a miniature baby in gold or a miniature divine serpent in gold to the Nagaraja, in accordance to their financial abilities. Then Valiamma will open their Uruli kept in the Nilavara after due prayers.

According to temple sources, devotees can source all that are required for this offering from the temple administration office at nominal costs. Normally more than 5000 Urulis are offered in a year at this temple.

I was thinking to write about this temple, U have asked for phots ony. but I thought will give details for all to benefit.

Nagaraja Prabhuve Saranam Ayyappa!

reply/best wishes/chitra.g

 

The Raising of Kerala:

Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple


do u know this version?

Sree Parasurama decided to seek release from the sin of killing the Kshathrias. He approached the holy Rishis. They suggested that he should make a gift of a land of his own to the Brahmins. Parasurama, the son of Bhrigu, propitiated Varuna Deva (the Lord of the Seas) to get some land for himself. He threw into the sea the axe which Paramasiva had given him with his blessings. Thus he raised the land from the sea and gave it as a gift to the Brahmins according to the rules. This land came to be known as Kerala. That piece of land was not habitable because of the salinity. Not even vegetables grew there. People began to leave the place. Bharghavarama was pained at this. He undertook penance to please Lord Siva, who advised him that the objective could be realized only if the flaming poison of the serpents was spread everywhere and that the only means of doing that was the worship of Nagaraja.

Parasurama, a Yogi, firm of will and above all desire, decided that he would take no rest until he saw Kerala come up as a land of evergreen beauty full of trees and plants, prosperous in every way. He set out with his disciples in search of a deserted jungle in order to please Nagaraja who was inaccessible and beyond anybody's understanding. He found a suitable place near the seashore in the southern part of Kerala. Satisfied with having found a proper place for the realization of his cherished dream, the great Rishi constructed a Thirthasthala for the performance of penance. Bharghavarama, a partial incarnation of Lord Vishnu, had to undertake very severe penance.

Nagaraja makes his appearance

Nagaraja, who was pleased, appeared before Parasurama, willing to grant him his desire. According to the poem by Mannarasala M.G.Narayanan Namboodiri, the Nagaraja made his appearance as if :
" The unspeakable splendor of millions of moons! The bright magnificence of emeralds stuck to the hoods. Golden jewels made attractive by miraculous embroidery! Lotus feet worshipped by crowds of Gods! Brilliant beauty of form, full of youthfulness!".

Parasurama prostrated at the lotus feet of Nagaraja and prayed to realize his objective. Nagaraja granted his request with great pleasure. Ferocious serpents arrived at the spot at once to spread the flaming Kalakuda poison. Because of the percolation of poison, the land of Kerala was desalinated, to become habitable with envious greenery.
Parasurama then requested the Lord to bless the land forever with his eternal presence, and that was also accepted by the kindly-disposed Nagaraja.

Installation

At a very auspicious moment Bhargavarama, the supreme devotee, installed, according to Vedic rites, Nagaraja, who is Brahma, Vishnu and Siva in one in the 'Thirthasthala' (Hall of pilgrimage) filled with Mandara trees, the place now known as Mannarasala. (The installed deity here represents Anantha (Vishnuswaroopa) and Vasuki (Siva in spirit). The installations of Sarpayakshi, Nagayakshi and Nagachamundi, the Naga deities, as well as of their associates were conducted in the proper places with the proper rituals. Parasurama performed to the accompaniment of Vedic recitation and singing of Sama, Abhishekam, Alankaram, Neivedyasamarpanam, Neeranjanam, Sarpabali and other rites pleasing to the serpents and thereby made all the serpents happy.
Parasurama brought learned people from other religions; installed Durga and other deities in different places; appointed Brahmins who were Thanthric experts for performing poojas; nominated Kshathrias, peasants and the Ashtavaidyas who were supreme among the physicians; thus he brought Kerala, filled with beautiful vegetation and to prosperity.

After giving important instructions to be followed to preserve the sanctity of the place, Parasurama left to do tapas on Mahendra Mountains.

Vasudeva & Sreedevi

Many generations passed by. The family fell into the grief of childlessness. Vasudeva and Sreedevi were the sad couple who had to bear that heavy load of sorrow, who resolutely worshipped Nagaraja to allay their grief.

It was about this time that unexpectedly fire broke out in the jungle around the dwelling place of Nagaraja and burnt down the jungle. The serpents were tortured by the flames, forcing them to hide in their pits with great difficulty.

Vasudeva and Sreedevi looked after the serpents, who had their hoods charred, bodies half-burnt, and fainting from time to time, falling down and crawling along. They gently fanned them with fans made of sweet-scented grass and poured ghee mixed with honey and oil on the wounds; cooled their melted bodies with sandalwood ointment; and comforted them. They put them at the foot of banyan trees. They performed purification ceremonies and consecrated the pits; and were put up in special places under the shade of deodar trees and in Chitrakudas.

The couple performed abhisheka with thirtha like Panchagavya (a holy mixture of five items from the cow's milk, curd, butter, urine and dung); observed elaborate poojas according to rules with areca nut flower bunches, fragrant flowers and water, incense etc., Nivedyam with melted butter (ghee), milk, payasam with molasses, rice powder, turmeric powder, coconut juice, Kadali fruit, cow's milk, all mixed together in the proper form as Nurum Palum, equivalent to the elixir of life. They offered serpent deities with great devotion, appam, aval (beaten rice or rice wafers), tender coconut etc. They chanted vedic mantras, performed circumambulation and performed all kinds of poojas to restore those crowds of serpents to full health.

The omnipresent and omnipotent Nagaraja was greatly pleased with their continuous penance and the love shown to his associates; Nagaraja made himself visible to the couple and blessed them that he would incarnate on the earth as their beloved son. He said " I shall assume the form of a serpent and stay here (in Mannarasala) permanently, as long as the sun and the moon are there, showering prosperity on your family and granting protection to all the devotees who come here …".

Thus Mandarasala, the place filled with Mandara trees, the holy spot where the serpents got shelter, where the earth was fully cooled, became Mandarasala.
The boon came true. The Brahmin lady became pregnant and gave birth to five-hooded serpent-child as well as a human child. The two brothers grew up together. Initiation ceremonies and Vedic education were carried out at the proper time in the traditional style. Nagaraja instructed the younger brother to enter into matrimony for the perpetual reservation of the holy family and he obeyed it. When the five-hooded Nagaraja realized that the objectives of his incarnation were realized, he informed the Holy Mother that henceforth he would live at this Illam by entering into Samadhi to bless the devotees. Then he suggested certain inviolable rituals and rules for offering worship and then went into the immaculate cellar and vanished.

(It is believed that even today that five-hooded Nagaraja stays in the cellar doing Tapas for the abound prosperity of his dependents. The members of the household always refer to him with great respect and devotion as "Muthassan' and "Appoppan" (Grand father). The jungle close by is the exclusive preserve for his unobstructed peregrinations (Appoppan Kavu - Grandfathers' Grove).

best wishes/reply /chitra.g/.truly God's own country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

 

chitra aunty..........you rock !!!! we name it and you have it !!

thanks a ton !!!...i too have gone through the website of this temple, but truly fascinated by pictures posted by you.............

 

did u go thro. the article?

 

yes aunty, have read the article........very interesting facts !!!

 

hope u r seeing my posts and pictures of deities!

best wishes/chitra.g

 

yes aunty....... my day begins with a view of all the almighty pictures posted by you....

 

Re: BOOST YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE

Hi Suman, will post anjaneyar details later, go thro. this, u will like this, as told by great Kanchi Paramacharya!!!!!!!


' Samsare Kim Saram ? '
(HinduDharma: From Work To Worklessness)


In his Prasnottara-Ratnamalika, our Acarya asks: "Samsare kim saram? "(What is the meaning of worldly existence?) He responds to the question himself:" You asked the question thus. Keep asking again and again. That is the meaning of samsara. "("Bahusah abhi vicintyamanam idam eva.")

"What is the purpose of my birth? Why was I born? " You must ask yourself this question again and again. You must also have some concern about whether you will reach the goal of your birth. "Why do you keep sinning?" is a problem that always worries us. "Why do you get angry? And why do we desire this and that? Can't we remain always happy without sinning, without anger and desire?" We do not seem to know the answers to these questions.

The fruit is formed from the flowers, first in the tender unripe form and finally in the mellow form. The flowers smells fragrant to the nose and the ripe fruit tastes sweet to the palate. The mellow or ripe fruit is full of sweetness. How did the fruit taste before it became ripe and sweet? The flower was bitter, the tender fruit was astringent, the unripe fruit was sour and the fruit that is mellow now is sweet. Peace means sweetness. When the heart is all sweetness all attachments disappear. There is attachment only so long as there is sourness. When you pluck an unripe fruit from a tree there is sap in the stem as well as in the fruit. It means that the tree is not willing to part from the fruit and vice versa.

But when the sweetness is full, all the ties will be snapped and the fruit will drop to earth by itself. The tree releases the fruit or the fruit frees itself from the tree. The separation is without any tears and happy [there is no sap]. Similarly, step-step by step, a man must become wholly sweet like a mellow fruit and free himself happily from the tree of samsara, the cycle of births and deaths. Desire, anger, and so on, are necessary stages in out development like bitterness, astrigency, sourness and sweetness in the growth of a fruit.

When we are subiect to urges like desire and anger we will not be to free ourselves fully from them but we must keep asking ourselves why we become subject to these urges and passions. We must constantly wonder whether they serve any purpose. If we do not remain vigilant about them we will become victims of their deception.

There must be astringency when it is time for astringency and sourness when it is time for sourness. But neither astringency nor sourness must remain a permanent state. Just as a tender fruit becomes mellow, we too must become mellow and sweet. If we do so there is no need to seek liberation on our own. If we are as we should be in the different stages of our life, liberation shall come in the natural process. On the other hand, if we make and effort at an inappropriate time [if we force ourselves] it will be like making the fruit prematurely ripe. Such a fruit will not taste sweet.

We should not, however, remain always in the same state as the one in which we find ourselves today, indifferent to everything. At the same time, when our bag of sins still to be emptied, we cannot thirst for the supreme knowledge. Instead, let us keep doing our duty hoping that we will realise the supreme knowledge, if not now, after many a birth. Let us adhere to the dharma prescribed by the Vedas. If we do so, we will proceed gradually to the supreme jnana. Now we are aware only of outward matters and outward disguises. So let us start with the outward rites of our religion and the outward symbols and signs. By degrees then let us go to the inner reality through the different stages from that of the tender fruit to the fruit that is mellow and sweet.
=========================
he is still alive with us guiding us! great person! will be with us for ever.

the more u read this article, the more we will try to learn?

 

Re: BOOST YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE

Sankaracharyar photos are very nice. A very good and nice write up is given by you. Thank you very much. No words appreciate the work done by you.

Whenever we ask for something about diety pictures or details about a temple it is readily available with you and is provided by you immediately. Thanks a lot and keep doing your service so that we all will get benefitted.