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Worship of Serpent Gods in Kerala

Snakes have been worshipped since olden times especially in the state of Kerala. In olden times, the shikha of men were worn in such a way that it resembled the hood and tail of a snake. The Naga Phana Thaali of Nair ladies is a reminiscent of such snake worship.

There is an interesting legend behind the origin of worship of serpent gods in Kerala.

After the creation of Kerala, Parasurama wanted it to be populated. But the brahmins who tried to live there soon returned back as the land was quite uninhabitable due to the excess prevalence of snakes and hardness of water. Parasurama sought the advise of Lord Siva and accordingly pleased the serpent gods Vasuki and Anantha. The serpent gods informed him that if they are worshipped as guardians and protectors of the land, the problem will be solved. The serpent gods instructed the snakes to soften the water with their breaths.

It was according to Parasurama’s instruction; Sarpa Kavu was built in each courtyard of ancient households called Tharavadu and serpent gods were worshipped. The eight most important serpent gods called Ashta Nagas are Anantha, Vasuki, Thakshaka, Karkkotaka, Shankha, Gulika, Padma and Mahapadma.

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Comments

  1. Jen KumarMarch 20, 2009 at 6:27 AM

    Nice post Raman. I will link back to this on my post on Snakes here
    http://www.alaivani.com/Blog/tabid/56/EntryId/152/Default.aspx
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Raman BVMarch 20, 2009 at 4:23 PM

    Sorry for the delayed reply. I was away from the computer for a couple of days. Thank you very much for linking to my article. I would like to post an article about Alaivani soon. Thanks for visiting this blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 31, 2009 at 9:01 PM

    @ Raman,

    nice blog you have got here ...

    cheers !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ayurveda ForumApril 21, 2009 at 2:23 PM

    Thank you Raman, a lovely story... I have always loved snakes!

    ReplyDelete

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