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Nagaraja Temple (Nagercoil)
Encyclopedia
Nagaraja Temple is a Hindu temple temple dedicated to the god Nagaraja situated at the heart of Nagercoil
. The name for the town Nagercoil originated from this temple. The temple is full of images of snakes. In addition, the gatekeepers of the sanctums are two snakes.
The head priest, who was interviewed in 2009, truly believes that it was originally a Dravidian Tamil Jain temple taken over by Hindus and rechristened as new mythological god by name Naga Raja.
Besides Nagaraja
, there are images of Jain Tirthankaras, Mahavira
and Parswanatha carved on the pillars of the temple. The entrance is reminiscent of Chinese architecture
of Buddha Vihara.
. The mountain Mahendragiri
in the Kanyakumari district
is referred to as the abode of nagas in the Ramayana
of Valmiki
. From this, it can be presumed that the origin of naga influence in the area goes back to legendary times.
From the five headed-serpent deity of the temple, the name of this place (town) Nagercoil
is derived; gradually its old name, Kottar
, has mostly faded. There is a part of town called Kottar, so the old name remains.
One day when a girl was cutting grass, blood began to spurt from below. She discovered that the sickle had cut into the head of a five-headed serpent. Dazed with fear, the girl fled to the nearest village and reported what she had seen. People in large numbers flocked to the spot and witnessed the miracle with their own eyes. By the joint effort of the villagers, the place was cleared and preserved for the purpose of worship.
They built a small shrine in the locality and worshiped the five-headed serpent. Hearing that the miracle happened at this place, people from other places visited the temple and offered poojas.
(August/September) the king, accompanied by his wife and children, used to visit the temple and offer poojas. Ever since, the temple is visited on every Sunday in Avani by thousands of devotees and the serpent shrine is worshiped.
Nagercoil
Nagercoil is the 12th largest city in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a municipality and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District...
. The name for the town Nagercoil originated from this temple. The temple is full of images of snakes. In addition, the gatekeepers of the sanctums are two snakes.
The head priest, who was interviewed in 2009, truly believes that it was originally a Dravidian Tamil Jain temple taken over by Hindus and rechristened as new mythological god by name Naga Raja.
Besides Nagaraja
Nagaraja
Nagaraja is a Sanskrit word from naga and raj meaning King of Snakes. It is applied to three main deities, Anantha , Takshak, and Vasuki. Anantha, Vasuki and Takshak are brothers, children of Kashyap and Kadru, who are the parents of all snakes...
, there are images of Jain Tirthankaras, Mahavira
Mahavira
Mahāvīra is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamāna who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. According to Jain tradition, he was the 24th and the last Tirthankara. In Tamil, he is referred to as Arukaṉ or Arukadevan...
and Parswanatha carved on the pillars of the temple. The entrance is reminiscent of Chinese architecture
Chinese architecture
Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in East Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details...
of Buddha Vihara.
History
It is difficult to ascertain the exact age of the temple. There is no authentic epigraph to aid the historian with its chronologyChronology
Chronology is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time, such as the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events".Chronology is part of periodization...
. The mountain Mahendragiri
Mahendragiri
Mahendragiri is the name of a hill in southern Tamil Nadu, near Nagercoil, in Kanyakumari district. It is part of the southern tip of the Western Ghats, with an elevation of ....
in the Kanyakumari district
Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
is referred to as the abode of nagas in the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
of Valmiki
Valmiki
Valmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e...
. From this, it can be presumed that the origin of naga influence in the area goes back to legendary times.
From the five headed-serpent deity of the temple, the name of this place (town) Nagercoil
Nagercoil
Nagercoil is the 12th largest city in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a municipality and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District...
is derived; gradually its old name, Kottar
Kottar
Kottar is a locality and a thriving bazaar area of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu state, India; though a part of Nagercoil today, it is the original town around which the city of Nagercoil, near the southernmost tip of Peninsular India, grew. It was an ancient trade center of both Pandyas and Cheras at...
, has mostly faded. There is a part of town called Kottar, so the old name remains.
Traditional background
There is a traditional background regarding the origin of Nagaraja temple.One day when a girl was cutting grass, blood began to spurt from below. She discovered that the sickle had cut into the head of a five-headed serpent. Dazed with fear, the girl fled to the nearest village and reported what she had seen. People in large numbers flocked to the spot and witnessed the miracle with their own eyes. By the joint effort of the villagers, the place was cleared and preserved for the purpose of worship.
They built a small shrine in the locality and worshiped the five-headed serpent. Hearing that the miracle happened at this place, people from other places visited the temple and offered poojas.
King of Kalakad
Once the King of Kalakkad, who was stricken with leprosy, came to the temple on Sunday in the Tamil month of Avani and did penance before the deity. Miraculously, he was cured of the deadly disease, and the fame of the temple spread far and wide. The king built the present temple in gratitude. On every Sunday during AvaniAvani
Avani is a small village in the Kolar district in Karnataka, India, about ten miles from Kolar Gold Fields. The village is located 50 km from the twin towns of Muddenahalli-Kanivenarayanapura. It is also a popular location for rock climbing.-Legend:...
(August/September) the king, accompanied by his wife and children, used to visit the temple and offer poojas. Ever since, the temple is visited on every Sunday in Avani by thousands of devotees and the serpent shrine is worshiped.